Nightfall
by sphinxs-legend
Summary: When Vivienne Swan moves to Forks, Washington with her father Charlie, she finds herself quickly enamoured with the eternally cold Edward Cullen. What happens when love and mythology are thrown in the mix? Twilight Re-Written with character. BellaBashing.
1. Prologue

_**Nightfall**_

_Prologue_

I'd never given much thought to how I would die–though I'd guess that I'd had reason enough in the last few months - but even if I had, this is not how I thought I would go.

I couldn't help but stare across the long room–breathless and paralyzed–into the dark eyes of the hunter in front of me. He looked pleasantly back, as if this were an everyday occurance. I shivered as I thought about how Edward was right: it was all a game and he was the ultimate competitor.

I knew that this was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I loved. I hoped that one day it could even be seen as noble. Maybe _that_ ought to count for something.

I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, I wouldn't be facing my death now. But as terrified as I was, I couldn't bring myself to regret anything that had happened. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it isn't proper to grieve when it ends.

The hunter smiled in the most friendly of ways as he stalked forward, all to ready to kill me.

**As you can see, I am outright stealing someone elses words and changing them. So, my dear readers, to avoid copyright infringements it is my duty to inform you that these characters belong to the Stephenie Meyer. These are her words, her ideas, her characters, and her work - that I am taking into my own fantasy. **

**Because, no offence to Mrs. Meyer, but I **_**hate **_**Isabella Swan. So for all you Bella-Bashers and people who wish Bella had more character, even if you don't necessarily hate her, this story is for you. This story is Twilight, but with a new character with more personality. So, here it is, **_Nightfall_**, a story of love, thirst, and a new character just to Bella-Bash**–**which is hopefully the only thing that Mrs. Meyer cannot sue me for.**

**I hope you enjoy.**


	2. First Sight

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all it's affiliates, minus any unrecognizable characters you are about to be introduced to. Those are mine. And they're going to stay mine so I can at least say I own **something**! :)**

Chapter One – _First Sight _

My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix; the sky was a perfect, cloudless blue. I was wearing my favourite shirt – bright green with bright, royal blue paint splotches of my own imagining. Arie and I had gotten a little bored the day before and now this was my final fun memory with her. I refused to wear the jacket my Mom brought me because I didn't want the message of the shirt to be wasted.

In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the good ol' US of A. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old. It was in this town that I'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I had finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my Dad, Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead. He was very calm about the whole situation and understood why I didn't want to leave when he met the gang. He understood why I _couldn't _leave when he met Arie.

But it was now to Forks that I was dooming myself – an action that I took with gritted teeth. I detested Forks in the same way that I loved Phoenix. And I did love it here – the sun, the heat, the city, my school, my friends, my life.

"Vivienne, " My Mom said to me quietly, as she handed me my carry-on. "Vous-ce regretterez."

"Not one bit." I lied, giving her a kiss on the cheek as I turned to the rest of my family.

My mother had gotten remarried not long after she had divorced my father. It left me with an awkward step-father named Earl and two half siblings who I loved. Katie was a nine year old girl with a very keen mind. She went to the same school as I did – grade three through to grade twelve – and tended to be on the same track as I had been, too only she was a drama star who loved to make homemade horror movies. She idolized me in a way that could possibly be deemed unholy, where as my little brother Shawn, at four years old was still insisting that I had cooties and he would just be happy if he got my room.

Which he wouldn't.

I kissed them on the cheek – much to Shawn's dismay – before turning to Arie. Even if my mother had said this was strictly a family goodbye, she wouldn't have gotten the message. Arie and I had been friends for seven years, but we had only become best friends in the last three and then we were inseparable. It was to the point where a lot of people knew us as 'Liv and Arie' but didn't know who was who until they actually met us in our separate classes.

"Tell your father that I expect him to take good care of you."

"I'm sure he will." I neglected to inform her that he was the reason I knew how to cook – just because he wouldn't do it for me. Not that he wouldn't try, Dad always did, but it never turned out right. He was the epitome of a single, middle-aged father.

"We'll see you soon. Maybe over the summer?" She smiled wryly. We both knew it wouldn't happen. "You can come back whenever you feel ready."

I bit my lip, not out of emotion, but so I wouldn't bite my tongue. I had nothing more to say to her and she knew that I would not be coming back any time soon. And if I did, it would be for Katie, Shawn, and Arie; not for her.

"Bye, Mom. We'll talk."

"You'll get homesick eventually." She reprimanded light-heartedly. It was hidden in a joke but the slight threat was sincere. I looked to Arie who was fighting not to roll her eyes. I smiled at her.

"I'll miss you, bunt-cake." I said to Arie. She smiled, but I was shocked to see her holding back tears. It was so unlike her. And because of those tears, it made the realism of it hit me like a brick. Tears fought their way into my vision as well.

"I'll miss you too hard-head." We held each other for a moment, trying not to let go and not to let go of the tears in our eyes before I pulled us apart.

"I'm going to miss my plane." I explained, as I used my sleeve to wipe my cheek. I had lost the battle. She sniffled.

"Would that be so bad?"

"That would be a poorly utilised seven hundred dollars." I informed. She laughed with me and with one last look at all of them; I dashed into the corridor to get to my plane. This shouldn't be so hard, I was the one who had made this decision; but it was hard. It was very hard. It's one thing to go visit Charlie for a few weeks in the summer; it's another thing entirely when I'm living with him until...

...Until who knows when.

I kept to my thoughts and my bright blue iPod during the six hour journey; this included two flights and an hour drive. I didn't want to seem rude for Charlie so on the fifth hour when he came to pick me up from Port Angeles – the closest city, from what I remembered – I turned my music off and planned to be attentive.

See, Charlie had been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten me ready for school and was even going to help me get a car – though that one always made me antsy. He really liked the idea of standard and my mother had always ruled it out as unnecessary. It was a battle he had lost up until now.

It was weird riding in the front seat of a police cruiser – not that I'd been in the back of one. My Dad is Police Chief Charlie Swan of Forks, Washington. I was excited to get the car, standard or not, so that I wouldn't have to worry about getting to school in a police car. Gross, I could hear the rumours now...

I got an awkward one-armed hug when I stumbled off the plane. Good start to the new state, stumbling on my first few steps.

"Good to see you, Viv, " he smiled at me. I smiled back but as a gut reaction corrected him.

"It's Liv, now. Normally. I mean, I guess if you wanted to you could but Mom said-"

He smiled at my awkwardness. "You haven't changed much. How's Sarah?" I'm sure that he noticed my face twitch.

"She's fine. It's good to see you, too...Dad." Usually, I just avoided saying 'Dad' or 'Charlie' around him. Just because both of them sounded awkward – Earl wasn't dubbed as 'Dad' or anything, but it just seemed weird to me. Besides that, Charlie was awkward too. It seemed disrespectful.

I had quite a few bags. If I was living here, I wasn't going to be uncomfortable. I brought some posters, probably far too many pictures, and little trinkets that I felt I couldn't live without. Not to mention things that even though I was living without my normal life for the year, I knew I would be able to use in solitude. Luckily, even in Phoenix I had a problem with always feeling cold so my clothes would transfer well to the change in climate. He helped me load everything into the trunk and back seats before he decided to speak again.

"I found a good car for you, really cheap, " he announced as I strapped myself in. My eyes narrowed as I suspiciously waited for more information... "Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

I almost smiled, but I was still suspicious. One of the only things my step-father and I had in common was our love for automobiles. I was one of the only girls I knew who understood cars. He only did body work, but Earl had taught me all I needed to know. I knew the basic mechanics of vehicles. Models, makes, most of the parts, and most importantly: how to change my own tires and oil.

"Where did you find it?"

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push rang a bell full of hazy memories in the ocean, but I shook my head. "He used to go fishing with us during the summer."

Ah. That's why I don't remember him. Most of those memories ended with me falling out of the boat and into the water – those are the ones I usually keep far out of reach in my mind's eye.

"Can't picture his face, sadly."

"He's in a wheelchair now, " Charlie explained further, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell it to me for cheap."

"What year is it?" I asked, still suspicious. Ah. The reaction I got made me realize it was the question he would rather I not have asked.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine – it's only a few years old, really." I waited. "He bought it in 1984, I think." I continued the waiting game. "I think it was new in the early sixties – or late fifties at the earliest."

"I can do body work, but if something goes seriously wrong I would have no idea what to do with a vehicle that old, Dad..."

"Really, Vi-_Liv_, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore." I hoped secretly that it was a 1956 Chevy, it was my favourite model. The later into the sixties and seventies, which was when they _really _started to change the models were the ones I liked least. Seventies didn't bring on the nicest cars.

"What colour is it?"

"It's...uh...red." The hesitance made me realize it probably _had _been red, but was more rust than paint, by now.

"How cheap is cheap?" I sighed, wondering if I should just help put the money out and get a more expensive car if the Chevy really wasn't worth it. He suddenly looked sheepish.

"Well, honey, " the word sounded awkward. "I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." His expression was hopeful as he looked at me.

"You didn't need to do that, " _really, _"I was going to buy myself a car."

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy _here_." The emphasis wasn't lost on me and I was glad he was staring ahead as he said it. We were both really awkward about this kind of thing. Gratitude, love, appreciation, those kinds of things that make people blush and look stupid.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." I wanted to be happy here, too. But something told me an old, cheap, run down truck wasn't all it was going to take.

"Well, now, you're welcome." He mumbled. We exchanged a few comments on the weather, which was wet, and that was pretty much it for conversation. I pretended to be tired from jet lag and luckily, he didn't call me on it.

Washington was beautiful. There was no denying it, even if I was far from proper civilization. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered in ferns. Even the air filtered down and looked green through the trees – that just shouted unsanitary.

Eventually we made it to Cha – eventually we made it _home. _He still lived in the two bedroom house that he had bought when he and my Mom were first married. It had been empty soon after. It was a quaint house, very homey and something I could see living in for the next...however long...but it still was slightly daunting with the realization that it was also a bit of a jail cell.

Huh, how fitting.

Parked right in front was an awkward rusted vehicle, it wasn't that difficult to see it wasn't the 1956 edition that I was hoping for, but the nice lines of it let me know it was close. It was at one point red, but it had been repainted so many times that no part of it seemed the same shade. There was no sheen to the coating either...I briefly wondered if I could get my hand on some paint to fix that. I forgot about Charlie for a minute as I opened the door while he was still parking the car and rushed to the front of it.

It was a 1953 Chevy classic. The headlights had been changed a bit to make them look new and probably so that they were the proper blue-white that cars now had instead of the yellow-white the Canadians still retained. The cab was well built and there were surprisingly very few dents or deformities to it. The light leather in the cab had been washed – but not new – and I was surprised by my realization. My dad knew me well, it was perfect.

"Papa, c'est la merde!" I exclaimed. "I love it!"

"Hey, now." Charlie frowned. "Don't be thinking you can get away with that French cursing. I know enough to get by." I smiled.

"You mean you _only _know the swear words?"

"Well, your mother only spoke in French when she was very angry..."

I smiled, looking back at my truck and running my hand over the sandpapered exterior. This would certainly make my day better. Maybe they had an auto body course at this school that I could get into and if they did, I could abuse their resources. But I liked the fact I had something to ride to school into. Something with character. Something with history and a story and a badass personality.

"It really is great." I assured when I saw him looking at it sceptically.

"I'm glad you like it, " Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again.

He then helped me take my things upstairs. I got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard that had a nice tree outside of it. Maybe one day when I was bored enough I'd figure out what type of tree it was. I knew the room well; from the deep coloured, wooden floor, the cyan painted walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window – those were all things I remembered. The newer parts – a new desk and a bigger bed covered in a teal bedspread. On the desk was a computer back from the late 90's that I knew had a dialup connection. My mother's rocking chair, which had become my favourite piece of furniture as I grew, still sat in the corner.

Strangely, it felt very much like home.

One of the best things about Charlie is he doesn't hover. He left me to unpack and go through memory lane as I brought out all the pictures and made the room more suited for a seventeen year old. It was a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother and I won't deny I quickly noticed how quiet the house was. No blaring SpongeBob, no nagging children, and no French or Italian Opera. It was nice to be alone, to not have to smile and look pleased; a relief to stare dejectedly out the window at the sheeting rain and let just a few tears escape. I wasn't in the mood to cry. It was a rarity. Tear up? Not unusual. To actually cry?

I viciously wiped the tears off of my cheeks, trying to get a hold of myself. Vivienne Swan does not cry, I tried to say over and over. But at the same time I would always add a _yet _to the end of it. I already had the gnawing feeling of dread deep in the pit of my stomach. Forks High School only had three hundred and fifty-seven – now fifty-eight – students; my last school, though a more 'private' school still had just under the same amount in what would have been my graduating class. All of these kids had grown up together – their grandparents had been toddlers together. And tomorrow I would be the new girl from the city, a curiosity and a freak.

I wasn't like all of these small town kids. I liked my inexpensive yet higher fashion styled wardrobe, I had my tom boy qualities, and yet I was from a 'private' school. And I say 'private' because it wasn't necessarily private at all. You had to audition, not pay tuition. And I wasn't like the blonde, bombshell cheerleaders who seemed to represent the population of Phoenix women. No. I was dark haired with a nice tan and freakishly dark brown eyes.

I really took after my Mom, half blooded Quileute – from the La Push reservation, fifteen minutes away – and half French. I had her darker skin, her slim nose, her slender French frame, but I had my father's soft hair and his dark eyes. Not that my mother's eyes looked much different, you could just _tell _that they were his. It was something about the colour and shape that made me not fit in – especially with my family who had the nice almond shape of my mother and the green from Earl. It was hard to fit in with that.

When I was finally finished packing I took a quick shower in the only bathroom in the house. I forgot that I would have to share it with a man, but after sharing two bathrooms for five people – six if you included Arie who was basically attached to my hip – something told me I could manage. Facing my pallid reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I was lying to myself. It wasn't just physically that I had never fit in. And if I couldn't find a niche in a school with well over three thousand people and nine grades, what chance did I have in this shark tank?

I didn't relate well to people my age. Maybe the truth was that I didn't relate well to people, period. Even Arie, who I was closer to than anyone else on the planet, was never quite on the same page. Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain.

I snorted. I _knew _there was a glitch in my brain.

_You going insane yet? _My phone glared brightly as I readied myself for bed. I smiled at Arie's sensitivity. The cause of my brain glitch didn't matter. All that mattered was the effect.

_You say that like I wasn't before. _I replied, with that I turned off my light and tried not to think too much about how tomorrow would be the beginning of the biggest effect of my entire adolescence.

I didn't sleep well that night, even after my spirits were lifted by Arie's twisted sense of humour. I was really nervous about school and her determination for me to find friends, while also making sure no one replaced her only made me more anxious. It was the constant whooshing of the rain that eventually what did me in – usually I listen to the sounds of rain or thunderstorms on my iPod to pass out, anyway. Maybe I'd get more sleep living here? I wonder if that comfort was something subconsciously related to my memories here.

Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning and I was surprised by how much I liked it. Part of me recognized this weather as a cage away from the sun – my proper home – but another part of me found it soothing. Something different. And with difference came a mysterious factor that helped me keep my mind off of what the morning was to bring.

Breakfast with Charlie was fairly quiet. He wished me good luck at school and I thank him, knowing his luck was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me. Like the plague. I quickly asked him what he knew about my courses and he told me that the school had called him to apologize for the lack of French Immersion or Advanced French courses. He informed me that they could put me in the highest level of French they had, to which I thanked him but declined. It was a small town: I should have known it would be the best they could do. Then again, at least they didn't try to make me go with the freshmen or sophomores because I technically didn't have the prereque credits–I'd try next year.

Charlie left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. After he left, I sat at the old, square, oak table in one of the three mix-matching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. Nothing had changed. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief sized family room was a row of pictures. First was a wedding picture of Charlie and Sarah in Los Vegas, then one of the three of us in the hospital after I was born, then a picture of my family in the hospital after Shawn had been born. I was holding him. It was strange – I could have sworn that Earl had been in the picture as well, but he was not within the frame. After that followed the procession of school pictures every year up to last. These were the worst to look at – I would have to see what I could do about getting him to move them somewhere else, at least while I was living here. I doubted I would make friends close enough to come over to hang outside of class, but I didn't want to take the chance.

It was impossible to ignore that my Dad had not gotten over my Mom. Maybe Earl really _had _been in that picture. It was almost suffocating to be in the house with all the tension of these pictures and it made me so uncomfortable that I decided to leave.

I didn't want to be too early for school, but I couldn't stay in the house anymore. I donned my stereotypical bright yellow rain jacket and headed out into the constant drizzle.

Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Either Billy or Charlie had cleaned it up, but the light leather seats I thought I had seen were actually tan. They still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. It was a strangely comforting smell, even if it did remind me of old men. The engine started quickly, to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. Well, a truck this old was bound to have a flaw – besides the paint job. The antique radio worked, a plus that I hadn't expected, even if it did only get me three clear channels.

Finding the school wasn't difficult, though I had never been there. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it so, made it evident. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon coloured bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs that off the high way I couldn't see its size. Where was the feel of the institution? Chain link fences? Metal detectors? Smoke pit? Nostalgia hit hard and I had to shove my phone in my pocket to stop from mass texting my complaints.

I parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading FRONT OFFICE. No one else was parked in this area, so I was sure that it wasn't for students, but I decided that I would get directions inside instead of circling around like an idiot – my truck would get me enough attention as it is.

I stepped unwillingly out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. I took a deep breath before opening the door, taking bets with myself over what I was going to see. What I saw – and let me win a bet with one side of my brain verses the other – was brightly lit and warm. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, like there wasn't enough of it lining the exterior of the school itself. The room as cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly coloured flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, which immediately made me feel overdressed – something that oddly didn't comfort or discomfort me.

She looked up at me with confused eyes. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Vivienne Swan, " I explained and saw the immediate recognition in her eyes. I was expected, probably a gossip target. Daughter of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, home at last. I set my chin, trying to make it look a little more chiselled and strong; I had a pretty weak chin.

"Of course, " she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pike of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter to show me.

She went through each of my classes for me, highlighting the best route to each on the map. She gave me a slip for each teacher that I had to have them sign and bring back at the end of the day. She smiled at me and hoped, like Charlie, that I would like it here in Forks. I smiled back as convincingly as I could.

When I went back out to my truck, other students were starting to arrive. I drove around the school, following the line of traffic. I was glad to see that most of the cars were older like mine, nothing flashy. At home it had been a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. The nicest car here was a shiny, silver Volvo. It was an S60R, probably a 2003. Earl and I weren't the biggest fan of Volvos, so I couldn't be sure.

I looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorize it now so that I wouldn't have my nose stuffed in papers as I walked around. I pushed everything into my sling back bag, sent out a mass text about what and who is involved in my Will, then sucked in a breath.

You can do this, I assured half heartedly.

I kept my face pulled back in my hood as I walked to the sidewalk, crowded with teenagers. My jacket did end up standing out, but it's not like I wasn't expecting stares. I was relieved I had thought to wear a sweater with a hood; suddenly my temperature sensitivity seemed a gift rather than a curse.

When I got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. There was a large three painted in white on the side. I felt my breathing gradually creep toward hyperventilation as I approached the door. I tried holding my breath as I followed two people through the door. I was greeted with a small classroom; the people in front of me were hanging their coats up on a row of hooks that I hadn't seen since grade five. I copied them, glad that my clothes were strangely colourless today. Less to stand out now that the bright yellow was gone. I noticed most people were the sunless pale of my father...it made me wish I had gone to school on the Quileute res.

I took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gawked at me when he saw my name – not an encouraging response – and of course I flushed tomato red. But at least he sent me to an empty desk at the back without introducing me to the class. It was harder for my new classmates to stare at me way in the back, but somehow they managed. I kept my eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given me. It was fairly basic: Brontë, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner...I'd read that all two years back. I wonder if my Mom would send me my folder of old essays, or if she would consider that cheating. Most likely she would consider it cheating.

Maybe I'd call Arie and get her to do it, posing as borrowing one of my tops...

When the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, an awkward and gangly Asian boy–there hadn't been many at my old school–leaned across the aisle to talk to me.

"You're Vivienne Swan, aren't you?" He looked like the overly helpful, chess club type.

"Liv, " I corrected. Everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at me. I tried not to glare at them for their intrusion but realized they probably couldn't help it. I must be the first fresh meat in decades.

"Where's your next class?"

I had to check my bag. "Um, Government, with Jefferson, in building...six." I couldn't look anywhere without catching someone's eyes so I looked down at my paper, trying to memorize the rest of my classes so that I wouldn't have to do this ever again.

"I'm headed for building four, I could show you the way..." Definitely the over-helpful type. "I'm Eric, " he added.

"Thanks." I smiled wryly. We got our jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up. I could have sworn several people behind us were walking so close just so they could eavesdrop. I hoped I wasn't being paranoid, but by the way people kept stepping on my heels, it was making it hard to shoot down the thought.

"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" he asked. Something told me that would be the start of all conversations.

"Hell yes." It made him smile and somewhat relax, which made me feel better about it.

"Doesn't rain much there, does it?"

"Three or four times a year." Probably more, but it's always appreciated by that point.

"Wow, what must that be like?" He wondered out loud. I snorted.

"Sweaty."

"Yeah, you look a little bit–oh, not sweaty. I was going to say tanned." His cheeks darkened.

"I know. I'm probably going to be pegged as the town gangster." He studied my face apprehensively, and I sighed. It looked like clouds and a sense of humour didn't quite mix. I was afraid to turn up my dial of sarcasm any higher, because that would be dangerous for their health. We walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Eric walked me right to the door, though it was clearly marked. I let out a vocalized shiver of anxiety as I stood on the step.

"Well, good, " he said as I touched the handle. "Maybe we'll have some other classes together." He sounded hopeful. I smiled at him with a nod, hoping I wasn't leading him on or anything, but a friend would be nice.

The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. My Trig teacher, Mr. Varner, who I would have hated anyway just because of what he taught, was the only one who made me stand in front of the class to introduce myself. I rambled, blushed, tripped on my way up, and told them about how I would miss Arie most, who most – I later heard – assumed was my pet cat.

I hope that the 'Crazy Cat Lady' doesn't become a codename.

After two classes, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Forks. I tried to be diplomatic but mostly I just ended up avoiding the subjects. It wasn't that I didn't like Forks – I just didn't like change. They seemed to accept the avoidance and walk me to classes so I never had to memorize my map.

One girl sat next to me in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with me to the caf for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than me at five foot six, but her wildly, curly hair made up a lot of the difference. I couldn't remember her name so I was the one who just smiled and nodded, only answering the questions directed towards my French, which I answered in French, so that she couldn't understand me and I could avoid using her name anyway. After that she ended up prattling on about teachers and classes. I didn't try to keep up.

We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, each who was introduced to me like a kindergartener. I forgot all their names as soon as she spoke them, just because I was so annoyed with her tone. They seemed impressed by her bravery to speak to me – which made me suspicious that her motives hadn't been all that chivalrous. The boy from English – Eric? – waved at me from across the room.

It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them.

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them. None of them were talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. Maybe I couldn't stop staring at them because they seemed to be the only students that weren't gawking at me. It was good because I was free to stare at them without meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was one of that which caught, and held, my attention.

They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big – muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blonde. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-coloured hair. He was more boyish than the others who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.

The girls were opposites. The long, golden-haired one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure – the kind you saw on _Sports Illustrated_ bikini covers, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self esteem just by being in the same room – I was feeling it now. I knew I was thin, but it wasn't a nice thin like her. I knew I was a bit busty and well curved, but I was flabby in comparison to her. It really did start to hurt the more I looked at her. So I looked over to the other girl who was pixie like, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction. Very modern, close to what this girl Sylvie used to do with her hair, only this girl did it _right._

While these differences separated the group of them, they were all somehow alike. Everyone one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. They all had dark eyes despite their range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those dark eyes – purplish, bruise like shadows that somehow didn't take away from their beauty. Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, and angular.

But again, this was not why I couldn't look away.

I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful – maybe the blond girl or the bronze haired boy?

They were all looking away – thank God, or they would have seen me ogling – from each other and students. As I watched, the small girl rose with her tray – unopened soda, unbitten apple – and walked away with a quick, graceful lope that belonged on a runway. I watched, amazed by her lithe dancer's step – I hadn't even seen things like that in my school. Nothing that flawlessly natural. She dumped her tray and glided through the back door, faster than I would have though possible. My eyes darted back to the others, who didn't budge.

"Who are _they_?" I asked the girl from my Spanish class.

As she looked up to see who I meant – though already knowing, probably, from my tone – suddenly he looked at her, the thinner, boyish one. Maybe he was the youngest. He looked at my neighbour for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flickered over to mine.

He looked away more quickly than I could – these people were fast – so I dropped my eyes, too. It was the only polite thing to do. In that split second, his face held nothing of interest – it was as if she had called his name, and he'd looked up in involuntary response, already having decided not to answer.

She giggled in embarrassment, looking down and away from them like I had. "That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen, they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath.

The beautiful boy – by far the most attractive of the males – was now picking a bagel to pieces with his long, pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly, his perfect lips barely opening. The other three weren't looking at him but somehow, I could just tell he was talking to them, though I had no idea what he could be saying that they would be able to comprehend at that speed.

Strange, unpopular names, I thought lightly. Kinda like mine. The kind that they are probably teased for because everyone's grandparents had them – oh, I'd heard that jab all too often. Maybe that was the 'in' thing here, small town names? I finally remembered the girl from Spanish was named Jessica, a perfectly common name. I had a friend name Jessica back in Phoenix, too.

"They are very...Baywatch." I struggled with the statement because I had this gut-wrenching feeling that Jessica was one of those girls who you couldn't tell a secret to. She giggled.

"Yes! They are all _together _though – Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they _live _together." Her voice held the judgement that only a small town girl could have, I thought critically. But I could understand why it would have caused gossip.

"Which ones are the Cullens?" I asked. "They don't look related..."

"Oh, they're not." She clarified. "Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties or something. They're all adopted. The Hales _are _brother and sister, twins – the blondes – and they're foster children."

"They look a little old for foster children."

"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."

"That's sweet," according to the look she gave me, I had just sprouted several more heads. "I mean, it's sweet for them to take care of all those kids like that, when they're so young and everything."

"I guess so, " Jessica agreed reluctantly and I could tell that she was still holding on to her critical views of what she thought a family should be. I think I am probably the poster child for insufficient Nuclear Family settings, so it was harder for me to pass judgement.

"I think that Mrs. Cullen can't have kids, though, " she added as if that made it all make sense. I turned towards her with a blank face, hiding my disgust. Something told me that this Jessica girl and I would be butting heads often.

"That makes it all the more compassionate." I said in a monotone, trying not to show my frustration.

"Yeah, more like desperate."

More like kinder than you've ever seen in your narrow minded little world, I wanted to his back. But my friends in Phoenix had told me to play nice and not talk back yet. I would hold my promise.

"Compassion can bring on things that people without it will never understand." I bit back. It was still a downright insult, but I had hoped that she would see past it by asking a sooner question. "Have they always lived in Forks?" I tried to remember through my memories if I had ever seen walking angels in this town – sadly, I had none that I could remember.

"No, " She said bluntly. I wondered if she thought I was stupid or even asking. "They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska." I felt an immediate stab of both pity and relief. Pity because, as beautiful as they were, they were outsiders – never to fully be accepted. The relief was that I wasn't alone in my situation – even though it appeared they had chosen that particular fate.

As I watched them, more creepily than inconspicuously, the youngest one of the Cullen's turned and met my stare. This time his expression was dripping with curiosity, which made my blush and quickly look away. I didn't like that flicker of unmet expectation from him. Like that blonde one hadn't knocked my insecurities enough...

"Which is the one with the reddish brown hair?" I asked, rubbing my neck with the sole intention of throwing my hair over my face. I peeked through the curtain I'd created and saw him still staring, but not gawking like the other students had today – he still wore that same odd expression that again made me look down in some unrecognizable form of shame.

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him." She sniffed – ah. It was pretty clear what that meant and I briefly wondered how long ago it had been that he had rejected her.

I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling at the thought. Glancing at him again, basic instinct it felt like, I saw that his lips were tight, too. Almost like he was holding back a smile, himself. After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. Each was shockingly graceful in an unnerving way. The one named Edward didn't look my way again.

I sat at the table with Jessica and her friends a little longer than I would have normally, but my first day jitters got the best of me and I was completely paranoid of being late for my first day of class. One of my new acquaintances, who considerately reminded me that her name was Angela – I like her already – had Biology II with me the next hour. We walked to class together in silence, which was nice. She realized that even though I wasn't as shy as her, I was still awkward.

When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a black-topped lab table which was different than the ones I as used to. Mine used to line the walls of the classroom in one long, onyx table. There were two rows of five black tops where two people could sit. To my disappointment, Angela already had a neighbour. In fact, everyone had a neighbour except for the by second from the back near the window – and who else would it be but Edward Cullen? I recognized him by his unusual hair and perfect boyishness.

I walked to introduce myself to the teacher, named Mr. Banner, who was an energetic, middle-aged man that wasted no nonsense on introductions. As I reached towards him to exchange the slip that needed to be signed for the textbook he had assigned me, I saw Edward go rigid in my peripheral vision. It drew my eyes to him, now he was staring again. The look on his face was so shocking that as I walked towards him, I suddenly couldn't move anymore. There was so much hostility, so much hate. It made my blood run cold.

I almost fell into my seat, thanks to the girl who left her books right in the aisle. She giggled and I glared at her, raising my eyebrows in challenge. She stopped immediately and turned back to face Mr. Banner. I smiled towards Edward, hoping the scene had lightened his spirits, but was shocked to see that he was just ass furious as he had been. But I couldn't look away – his eyes were coal black. Like a starless night or a bottomless ocean.

I swallowed and hid behind my curtain of hair once more. I heard his posture change and with a glance through my hair, I could see that his posture had changed. He was now leaning as far from me as possible, his hand balled into fists, face towards the windows and were his – yes, his eyes were squeezed shut.

Inconspicuously I smelled myself. My hair smelled like vanilla and I could still smell the lingering scent of my spiced vanilla body wash and spring fresh antiperspirant. I had a strange obsession with how I smelt and my favourite smell was vanilla, so I always tended to pulsate it. This was probably because Earl smelled like a pig-pen. It wasn't his fault, he naturally sweat about three times the amount of a normal person, but it made me very aware of my smell, so that couldn't be it.

Unfortunately, the lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I had never studied. I delved into my notes, making them far more detailed than I normally would have – any other time I would have referenced my textbook later – but I couldn't bring myself to look past my curtain of hair to the boy I could still _feel _glaring at me. And yeah, I didn't think it was actually possible outside of a book to think you can _feel _someone's eyes on you, but there was so much hate behind it, how could I not?

The one time I did dare to peek at him, I took in everything as quickly as possible and was horrified by the result. He had not taken his eyes off me, he had not relaxed, and his hands were clenched into tendoned fists that were so vicious I couldn't understand how I had ever thought him slight, even beside his burly brother.

Needless to say, this class lasted for far too long. I was antsy the entire time and I couldn't stop squirming under his scrutiny – it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life and yet nothing was actually _happening._ He was silent, he was deadly, and he was completely removed from the environment. What was wrong with him? Was this his normal behaviour? If looks could kill, I would be sixty feet under, right now. Maybe Jessica wasn't as resentful as I thought and the boy really did have issues that needed to be dealt with – by a professional, it seemed. I mean, how could this have anything to do with me? I hadn't said a word to him; I hadn't touched him or had the time to offend him – even though I never would have. Would have, anyway. Maybe now I wouldn't be so courteous.

When the bell rang, I jumped. Mostly because Edward, even in his stupor, had somehow anticipated the ring and was out of his seat and walking past me as it wailed. He was taller than I thought as he passed people before they could stand, and he was out the door before anyone else could give a second glance.

I sat planted in my seat, completely terrified. He was cruel. It wasn't fair. I began gathering my things in a daze, thinking about how much of a dick that guy must be to d this to me on my first day – to ruin my day, month, year, and each day until graduation – just because he _could._ There was a moment where I tried to pretend like this wouldn't affect me for that long, but I was usually honest with myself and I knew that, for some strange reason, it invariably will.

"Aren't you Vivienne Swan?" a male voice asked. The owner of that voice was a cute, baby-faced boy, with pale blonde hair that was carefully gelled into orderly spikes. He smiled more friendly than I could have thought possible after the hour of disgust I'd sat beside. He must have smelled the vanilla.

"Liv, " I corrected robotically.

"I'm Mike."

"Well, hello there, Mike."

"Do you need help finding your next class?" He smiled almost too much, but now I couldn't be sure if I was so desensitised from Edward's anger or if it really was excessive. I shook my head.

"I'm headed to the gym, actually. I think I'll manage."

"That's my next class, too." He seemed thrilled with this; though the school was so small I was sure I'd had classes with two or three other people in each so far. Nevertheless, we walked to class together; he was a chatterer – he supplied most of the conversation on his own, which made things easy for me since I was still so zoned out. He apparently was a little bit of a newbie, himself – living in California until he was ten, so he knew how I loved the sun. He was also in my English class – called it.

"So did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what?" He asked as we walked into the gym. "I've never seen him act like that." I winced. So this _wasn't _his normal behaviour. Lucky me was a special case of...whatever the hell that was.

"You mean the dick from Biology?" I muttered darkly. He laughed almost too loud.

"Yes, " he said. "He looked like he was in pain or something."

"I never spoke to him." I sighed. "Apparently he can feel my poverty through his Prada shirt."

"He's a weird guy." He chuckled. Instead of heading to the dressing room, he lingered and watched me with amusement in his crazily-blue eyes. "If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would have talked to you."

Almost immediately, I decided it was time to change. He was friendly and admiring, but I was irritated and not even the most attractive boy – ironically enough, to me that was Edward Cullen – wouldn't have stood a chance.

The Gym Teacher, Coach Clapp, found me a uniform but didn't make me dress for today. At home, you only needed two years of Gym was but here it was a four year requirement. Another stab at my day. Luckily I watched four volleyball games simultaneously instead of participating, I didn't need to be active today, it seemed. Thank. God.

When the final bell rang, I felt like I could cry from happiness. I walked to the office to return my slips of paper and smiled at the lack of rain...the smile didn't last long as my bones were chilled by the wind. When I walked into the office I was assaulted by an angry, honey tone of someone talking to the receptionist. I closed my eyes and held my breath when I realized it was Edward Cullen.

His tousled bronze hair was what gave him away and he was so busy quietly yelling to her that he hadn't noticed me enter. He was arguing in a low, attractive voice – much lower than I would have expected him to have. The argument was very clear, he was trying to trade form sixth hour Biology.

This _couldn't _be about me. This had to be about something else that had happened before I had gotten there. Something that happened that had nothing to do with the new girl he hadn't spoken a word to...right? It was impossible that a stranger could take such a sudden, intense hatred towards me.

The door opened again and I gasped from the cold wind that whipped through the room. The girl who came in put a note in the wire basket and walked out again, but Edward Cullens back had stiffened. Somehow – and I had no idea how it could be – he turned around and _knew _I was there. His face was absurdly handsome – even with his piercing, hate-filled eyes. For an instant, I felt a thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on my arms. The look only lasted a second, but it chilled me more than the freezing wind. He turned back to the receptionist.

"Never mind, then, " he said hastily with a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heal without another look at me, and disappeared out the door. I took my moment to breathe out his absence before I walked meekly to the desk, face pale to hand her each signature.

"How did your first day go, dear" The receptionist asked maternally.

"Dandy, " I said sarcastically. She gave me a look of sympathy right after the one of shock – she must have thought I would have lied. Well, she clearly didn't know me at all.

When I got to the truck, I was glad that I was one of the last cars in the lot. It seemed like a safe-haven, closer to home than anywhere else I had been since I had gotten off the plane. I sat for a while, wondering what I could do to get my mind out of this rut of...what? Fear? Self-consciousness? As soon as I was so cold I was snapped out of my reverie, I grabbed my cell phone and mass texted, ignoring the ones I had received throughout the day.

_For the love of God, someone fly me home._

_Why What happened Where are you? _Came the near instant response of Arie. I shook my head.

_I'm on my way to Charlie's. I don't think I can do this._

_Im calling in 15 whether youre home or not_

I smiled despite myself and started my truck. I knew that she wasn't joking or playing around and knowing her she would only be able to make it ten minutes before dialling. I took a small comfort in her fast reactions just like I had taken the small insult of Edwards'...

It was nice to know that someone out there wanted me to stick around.

**I hope you enjoyed! Tell me how you think it's going and what you think of Vivienne, I'm really trying to clarify the differences between her and Bella, but keep her on the same course, you know what I mean? The big changes are soon going to be obvious since I'm chapters ahead, without being edited. So let me know what's going on in those heads of yours by pressing the review button riiiight there! Thanks guys!**


	3. Open Book

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm sticking heavily to the book now but the further in I've gotten (these chapters have been written for a while. I'm currently about to start Chapter Fifteen in my drafts) the more comfortable I am with Vivienne's character in comparison to Bella's. So don't worry! **

**Everything except for Vivienne and her life post-Forks belongs to Stephenie Meyer. It is also a severe possibility that she owns my very soul.**

Chapter Two – Open Book

The next day was better...and worse.

It was better because it hadn't rained yet, though it was pretty clear from the humidity that it was inevitable. On top of that, I now knew what to expect of my day. Mike came to sit beside me in English and made sure to strut me to my next class, with Eric – chess club boy – glaring the entire way, which was flattering, but I was immediately uncomfortable. I usually wasn't the one to get this kind of attention. That was Arie's area of expertise...I was the awkward one who didn't quite fit into the shoes she was given.

Presumably from this very awkwardness, people didn't look at me quite as much as yesterday. Which was great. I even sat with a big group a lunch that had mutated to include Mike, Eric, Jessica, Angela, and other people with faces I could remember and names that were always on the tip of my tongue. Even if I still wasn't moving, I felt like I was floating on the water instead of drowning just below the surface.

It was worse because I still couldn't sleep. Last night I had been up all night contemplating witty, confident and intelligent things to say to Edward Cullen if his behaviour continued. Things that wouldn't degrade to me swearing at him in French – something he wouldn't understand – just to make him feel stupid and look it up later. I'd come up short...and an exhausted brain had no chance of helping.

It was also worse because Mr. Varner called on me in Trig when my hand wasn't raised, and math being my worst subject, I got the answer entirely wrong. I also had to play volleyball and I accidentally spiked it – into Coach Clapp's face. Oh, and to top it all off: Edward Cullen was nowhere to be seen.

All morning I had been dreading lunch, fearing whatever his mood would be _that _hour. I then started to fear that I should have stayed up later and thought of better come-backs. Part of me really did wanted to confront him and demand to know what his problem was – but I was as happy as the Cowardly Lion when he hadn't been there. I could have cheered when Jessica and I walked into the cafeteria to see all four of his siblings there and no sign of him.

And then, as Mike intercepted us and steered us to his table, I started to grow more weary. Why _wasn't _he in school? The guy hadn't dropped out or anything just because he couldn't ditch Biology II...right? But then I realized, there were tons of reasons to miss a lunch. He could be in the library, he could have gone home, he could still be in the lunch line, he could be part of some club.

After separating myself from Jessica's shameless trials at flirting with Mike, I had grabbed Angela and walked with more confidence into the class, praying that his absence at lunch meant his absence from class. Mike walked faithfully behind us, cracking jokes as I held my breath going through the classroom door...

...But Edward Cullen wasn't there, either. I exhaled and spread myself possessively over my seat and his own side of the table – _mine. _Mike followed and prattled on about an upcoming trip to the beach, but I could barely listen; I was far too content. When the bell rang, he smiled ruefully and went to his place beside a girl with a bad perm and braces. I sighed, hoping I wouldn't have to acknowledge Mike's growing interest in me. I really wasn't good with that kind of confrontation...and when I _did _happen to be good with those kind of talks, it was always at the other persons' expense.

Talking about things at other's expense...spreading my things out was at the expense of possibly chasing my lab partner away. Why, I still had no idea, but I couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that I was the reason he wasn't here. It was ridiculous, and arrogant, to think that I could affect someone so much. And yet, I couldn't stop worrying it was true. I mean, was I really that influential? Surely not to someone like _him_...

...and by that, I clearly mean someone who didn't know me, I cursed myself mentally. There was nothing spectacular about an egotistical ass who decides to take out his cruelty on the new girl. And to think, I had felt _pity _for him the day before!

When the school day was finally done and I had stopped stuttering out my excessive apologies to Coach Clapp, I changed quickly back into acid wash jeans and a white and baby blue sweater. I hurried from the girls' locker room, pleased to find that I had successfully evaded my retriever friend for the moment. I walked swiftly out to the parking lot that was starting to overflow, each second getting more condensed with fleeing students. I got in my truck and dug through my bag to make sure I had everything that I needed.

Last night I'd discovered that Charlie still hadn't taught himself how to cook anything besides some bacon and the occasional fried egg. I requested that I be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay. He was willing enough to hand over the keys to the banquet hall when I also discovered that there was _no _food in the house. I had my shopping list and the money from the jar labelled FOOD MONEY, so with that mental checklist running through my mind, I set out to the Thrift way.

I gunned the deafening engine to life, ignoring the heads that turned towards me. I backed carefully into a place in the line of cars escaping the parking lot and winced. I tried to pretend that I wasn't watching the two Cullens and the Hale twins getting into their shiny Volvo. I quickly took a look at their clothes, brought on by the fact the little one, Alice, was wearing some form of expensive sequin that sparkled and caught my eye. I had never noticed how they dressed exceptionally well; simply, but with subtle hint of designer origins; which was funny, considering I did the exact opposite. It was with their remarkable good looks and the style with which they carried themselves that would have allowed them to wear dishrags and pull it off on a runway. It seemed excessive for them to have both looks and money. But as far as I could tell, life worked that way most of the time. It didn't look as if it bought them any acceptance here.

But I reminded myself of how everyone had told me that this segregation was their choice. And for once, I had decided to believe the rumours; simply because I couldn't imagine any door that wouldn't be opened by that degree of beauty. I ignored their eyes as they watched my truck pass them and swore that I would never diss grocery shopping again, now that it had saved me from that tension.

When I got home from my forty minute shopping trip, I unloaded all the groceries and stuffed them wherever I deemed appropriate. I hoped Dad wouldn't mind. I wrapped potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake, covered a steak in a spicy marinade – too late to ask myself whether or not Charlie even _liked _spice – and let it soak in the fridge as I finished my sloppy organization.

When I was done that, I took my bag upstairs. I quickly decided I wasn't in the mood for my homework, so I changed into a pair of dry sweats, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and checked my email for the first time in the three days I'd been here. I had six messages.

"_Vivienne,_" my mother wrote. "_Write me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining? I miss you, I'm so sorry you decided to live with your father. I hope you don't have some silly idea that it's permanent. Katie is looking for her strawberry lip gloss, have you seen it? We miss you. Mom._"

I sighed and went to the next, sent eight hours after the first.

"_Vivienne,_" my Mom rote. "_Why haven't you emailed me yet? What are you waiting for? Mom._"

Then one from Katie, reading simply:

"_Where did you put my lip gloss? I know it's your favourite because it's my favourite but you better not have taken it with you! K. xox_"

I rolled my eyes, reading the next – sent eight minutes later.

"_Sorry. It rolled under my bed. Miss you. K xox_"

I snorted, wondering how she could still blame me for idolizing _her _so much that I would steal her things now that I was in a completely different state. Something told me that this would continue every time she would lose something. Oh well.

"_VIVIENNE ISABELLA SWAN,_" the next read, making me actually wince from the caps. It was as if I was actually being yelled at by my friends. "_We totally just made a Eulogy for you. Not that you're dead. We just miss you. So, we decided that you needed to be commemorated. Below you will find a picture of your temporary replacement until you get off your fat ass and come home._" Then under it was a crudely drawn picture of a stick figure, with each of my strange characteristics (big hips, a large chest, long hair, disturbingly large eyes) drawn sloppily on one of the school napkins.

Switching to the next email, I saw that it was from Arie.

"_Ty apologizes for saying you have a fat ass. He is apologizing right now as I hold his ear. Now you should probably email us back or else I will punish him as I see fit and if you don't answer fast enough, you just may never talk to him again. Or me, because we know I'm not sneaky and I'll totally be thrown in jail. TALK TO US, HOE! ...Love, your bunt-cake."_

After pulling myself together – I mean, how could I not be tearing up from laughter? – I began to write my responses. I started with my sister, since hers would be the shortest.

"_Katie,_" I began simply. "_I know you'll end up blaming me for a lot of it, but for the record I haven't taken any of your things...except your blankee._" I left about four lines of space. "_Ha. Made you look. Anyway, I hope you're taking care of Shawn, Mom, and your Dad. Keep me posted on how everything is going on, alright. Oh, and all the drama at school. Arie gets too into it, so you're going to be my informant. I miss you. Write back soon!_"

It was a complete lie and since electronics were the only way I could ever pull lying, off I used it shamelessly. Arie was the best gossip informant around, but I was hoping that my comment would involve two things: one, she would actually find a group of people to talk about gossip with – Katie was kind of a loner; and two, she would write to me more because she'd feel more included. I thought I had done my job nicely as I sent the message to her. I moved next to my mother, which was written completely in French.

"_Mom,_" I began. "_Everything is great. Of course it's raining. I was waiting for something exciting to write about, alas it is never that simple. School isn't bad, just a little repetitive. I met some nice kids who sit with me at lunch._

"_Katie found her lip gloss under her bed and messaged me to apologize, so don't worry about it. _

"_Charlie bought me a truck! Can you believe it? Tell Earl that it's a 1953 Chevy in a faded red. Will you ask him if I need to buffer out the red to do any body work or body paint? I'm thinking of a nice emerald or baby blue...kidding. I know, the colour is too common in my things anyway._"

I thought about how I was going to respond to the fact she missed me...to be honest, I didn't really miss her that much, but the entire email seemed to be dedicated to other people.

"_I miss everyone. I'll write again soon, but I'm not getting on this Nomad every day to check my email. Should have gotten me a netbook. Ha. Relax. I'm going to go do my homework like I good little girl. Miss you._

"_Vivienne._"

I sent it before I cold edit it of all the handiwork and sweetness that didn't look like it belonged. I'm sure my Mother would appreciate the sentiment, even if she knew it was a little – if not, very – forced. I then turned to my email from my friends and addressed each of them.

"_Bonjour dirt bags,_" I started with a little chuckle to myself. Ty, my football friend, was my first victim.

"_Ty, you had better not be calling me fat when you are so morbidly obese. Arie, make him run around the school half a dozen times to sweat out the comment – and the cheeseburger he surely had for lunch. And Ty, what's with writing my Eulogy? Honestly, I have yet to die from boredom...believe it or not, it's suddenly not as boring as it should be...but more on that later._

"_Jenn,_" This was the party animal; the one who somehow fit in with us even when we normally weren't partiers at all. "_Have you been ransacking the place and distracting them all now that I'm gone? I certainly hope so. I expect to see a permanent blood alcohol level of 0.9 in all of you by the time I come home to visit, got that? And if I ever hear that you missed a Frat Party next year – well, not only will I die of shock, but I will be thoroughly disappointed._

"_Asher! Ash, how has the hunting been coming along? I mean, you still _gotta catch'em all_, so I expect to hear any progress. Speaking of progress, have you made a move on Bianca yet? She's probably dying waiting for you, so here's my gentle nudge to do it faster. Miss you. Text me when something cool happens...which should be soon, right?_

"_Arie,_" I sighed. I had just spoken with her yesterday and still there was so much to say. "_That guy didn't come to class today. I don't know what his problem is. If you haven't informed the group already, please, be my guest. Remember to make Ty run those laps, actually _go _to the parties with Jenn, and make Ash ask out Bianca before you have to hear too much angst. I left you in charge, missy, so you better keep up the pace. I heart you with my Kibbles 'n' bits. Miss you dearly. Tell everyone at school I said hi._"

There was a moment of thought.

"_Oh, by the way, will you go into my room and email me my documents in my _school _folder? I've decided English class is going to be my lax class of the day, and that's the only way to do it ;)_

"_Miss you all! Message me soon!_"

When I was done with my messages, I took out my favourite novel. It was not something I had to read for this English class, though I would have had to read it for my English class back in Phoenix. I had discovered it years before it could be polluted by the forcible time commitment from the educational prison. They probably weren't into the whole idea of 'other cultures and religious views' in this area, so I'd have to keep this on the down-low. It was my favourite book, _Paradise Lost_, about the fall of the Morningstar, in it's French translation – of course. It was basically a giant poem.

It was all I did instead of being at home doing homework, and that was exactly what I was doing when Charlie came home. I panicked and made sure that the food wasn't burnt – nearly so, it would be a little dry – when he walked through the door.

"Vivienne?" My father called out when he heard me dash down the stairs. I contemplated saying that my name was Marvin, but didn't want him to mock my name choice.

"Hey, Dad, welcome back."

"Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as I bustled about the kitchen, sorting out the food. As far as I was aware, he had never shot his gun on the job. But he always kept it ready like any good cop should – or that was what he thought. When I came here as a child, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked through the door. I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident. And I guess he didn't think I was depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose. That or he was now to lazy to care at all.

"What's for dinner?" he asked warily. My mother was an imaginative cook, her experiments weren't always pleasant. I was surprised, and sad, he seemed to remember that far back.

"Steak and potatoes," I answered and added, "a real 'mans' meal," when he looked relieved. Since he was awkwardly standing in the kitchen, unsure of what to do I let him go watch TV while I finished up. We were both too uncomfortable for him to help me out. I made salad while everything was finishing and set the table.

"Smells good, Liv." He smiled after I had called him in. I tried not to blush.

"Thanks."

We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't necessarily uncomfortable until we both started to search for things to say. Neither of us were bothered by the quiet, it was just that we knew so soon into my move we should have started to make a connection.

"So, how do you like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds.

"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. There's this boy Mike, who's very..." I searched for the right word. "...Friendly. Everyone – almost everyone – seems pretty nice."

"You must mean that Mike Newton. Nice kid –" he went on, completely ignoring my little hint towards Edward Cullen. "His Dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off of all the backpackers who come through here."

"Cool. So..." I began slowly, watching him carefully. "Do you know the Cullen family?"

"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."

"They...the kids...are a little, different, wouldn't you say? They don't seem to fit in very much-"

"People in this town," Charlie muttered, almost angrily. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued getting a little louder. "We're lucky to have him – lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community and all of those kids are well behaved and polite." I inhaled slowly as not to interrupt his thought. "I had my doubts, when they first arrived in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have same problems with them. But they're all very mature – I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for some of the folks who have lived here for generations. And they stick together the way a family should – camping trips every other weekend...just because they're newcomers people _have _to talk."

It was the longest I've ever heard Charlie talk for, nevertheless he made an entire speech out of it. He must feel very strongly about what he was saying and there were a few moments where I must have looked like a fish out of water. I call it my fishy face.

"They seem nice to me." I lied, I wonder if he noticed it. It's always very obvious when I lie. "I just noticed that they kept to themselves. They're kind ridiculous looking...pretty, I mean," I added, trying to be more complimentary.

"You should see the doctor," Charlie laughed. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."

We lapsed back into a silence that I don't think either of us wanted to break. We had made our peace, had actually spoken at the dinner table: this whole father-daughter relationship had to be taken in baby steps. He cleared the table, I started the dishes; he went back to the TV, I went up to do homework. I felt tradition in the making.

That night it was quiet, which made me lay awake and think. Never a good thing. Think about the missing boy and what I was going to do tomorrow when he showed up to school – if he showed up to school. I tried to toughen my skin just by sheer willpower...but I knew it wasn't so simple. I put my iPod on – music, tonight, I was in the mood to be uplifted when I woke – and drifted to sleep a half hour later.

The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school – which was morbidly depressing in a way no one would understand until they realize how small the world is. In Gym, the kids on my team learned that I was a hazard and to keep everything away from me, including any tender body parts that my bad luck could target.

Edward Cullen didn't even come back to school. Each day, I watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullen's entered the cafeteria without him. Then I could take a breath and join in on the lunchtime chatter. Most of it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I was invited and had agreed to go, but this was mostly because I wanted to remember where my Mother came from, not because I wanted to go to the beach. Beaches should be hot and dry with the option of water, not rock beds with water always falling on you from the waves _and _the sky.

By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering my Biology class, no longer worried that Edward would be there. For all I knew, and hoped, he had dropped out of school. I tried not to think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I really was responsible for this ridiculous off-time of his, selfish as it seemed.

My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. I cleaned the entire house top to bottom, got ahead on my homework, and wrote more emails – making them far longer to curb my friends cravings. I even further encouraged my ex-boyfriend to make a move on a girl I didn't really like; he needed it. I did go to the library with very low expectations on Saturday, but it was stocked so poorly that my low expectations didn't even ready me for the disappointment of leaving without a card; I'd have to visit Olympia or Seattle soon to find a good book store. I wondered idly what kind of gas mileage my truck would get – and decided that the bookstore could wait.

The rain stayed soft over the weekend, louder at nights and I found that I was able to sleep well.

People greeted me in the parking lot on Monday morning and though I knew all their names, I could only wave at them because so many were saying hi. It was like I was an overnight sensation and everyone wanted to see a glimpse of the infamous Vivienne: the biggest klutz in town. It was colder this morning, luckily not raining, but I still had my sweater on without the intention of it coming off.

In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights, which I know I didn't ace, but I hadn't done poorly at all. It made me wonder if I should re-read the booklist: just in case. But all in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel here.

When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks and nose, making them stuff up dramatically.

"Wow," Mike marvelled. "It's snowing."

I looked at the cotton fluffs that were building up on the sidewalk, watched them fly mischievously past my face and wrinkled my nose.

"Ew." Snow. There went my good day.

He looked surprised. "Don't you like snow?"

"No. That means it's too cold for rain. That means less thunder. That means less sleep." I sighed. "Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes? You know, each one unique and all that. These look like the ends of Q-tips. That can't quite hit the inside of someones ear..."

"Haven't you seen snow fall before?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course – the Discovery Channel knows all."

Mike laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it had come from. I had my money set on Eric who was walking away with his back towards us – in the wrong direction of his next class and much faster than normal. Mike apparently had the same idea which is why he bent over and began to scrape together a pile of mush.

"I'll see you at lunch." I said dismissively, starting to waddle away. "Once people start throwing things without caring about getting me cold – I make my escape." He just nodded, not looking at me but Eric's retreating figure.

Throughout the morning, everyone was chattering on about the snow. Apparently it was the first snowfall of the New Year – lucky me. When Jessica and I walked to the cafeteria after Spanish, I was on high alert. I kept my binder in my hands to use as a shield, even though I knew it would make no difference – my reflexes were not close to fast enough to pull of that kind of move. Jessica thought it was hilarious, but something in my eye made it clear that if she tried to turn mutinous, I would have her head on the chopping block.

Mike caught up with us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting the spikes in his hair. He and Jessica were talking animatedly about organizing a snow fight – you organize those? – as we waited in line for food. I glanced toward the table in the corner out of habit and froze where I stood.

"Hello? Liv? What do you want?" Jessica pulled on my arm to get my attention and I looked to my food, my face burning hot. I had no reason to feel self-conscious, I reminded myself. I had not done anything wrong.

"What's with Liv?" Mike whispered to Jessica.

"Nothing." I answered automatically, straightening myself out. "I'm just getting a soda today."

"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked.

"Actually, I feel a little sick." I said, my eyes still on the floor. I waited for them to get their food and followed them to the table, my eyes on my feet. It at least made it so that I didn't trip over anything.

I sipped my soda slowly, my stomach was churning. Twice Mike showed his ridiculous amount of concern for my well being and I kept saying that I was fine. Briefly I wondered if I should play it up to escape to the nurses office for the next hour.

I text the idea to Arie, who almost bit my head off.

_Are you kidding? You go right up to that asshole and tear him a new one for being so rude! Ask him if he even knows what kindness is? Ask him if he has any real friends to be nice to! Tell him to bugger off and then tell me how it goes. Oh and get a picture if you can...so I can throw darts at it._

I wondered how true the last statement was. If she was trying to play matchmaker again, I was going to tear _her _a new one.

As ridiculous as the text was, it did give me a bit of confidence. He _was _being the rude one to me and I should not have to ditch a class just because I was worried about getting his approval about who I was. I knew who I was. Vivienne Swan: a random girl who should not be afraid of some jerk who thinks he can hate on someone he's never even met.

Now if only I had that confidence for real. I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little and saw that they were laughing. All of them – even Edward. They were all drenched in melting snow and the girls were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snow day, just like anyone else – only they looked like a post card or commercial advert. _Perfection – the new diamond water drop. _I could see it on advertisements for engagement rings now.

There was something different about them that I couldn't quite place – something that I seemed to see most in Edward. His skin was less pale, I decided. Probably flushed from how cold he was thanks to Emmett's wet hair. The circles under his eyes were less noticeable, true. But there was also something more – something that I couldn't quite tell from this far away...

"What are you staring at, Viv?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following my stare. At that moment, his eyes flashed up to meet mine.

Oh my god! I dropped my head, letting my hair fall to hide my face, which I'm sure was starting to go beat red. I was sure that the instant that our eyes met there would have been some form of harsh or unfriendly glare, maybe even more disgust and hostility...but I hadn't detected any. Instead, he looked curious again and somehow grievously unsatisfied.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica said in shock, looking from him to me. I inhaled sharply.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" I whispered, hoping he couldn't read lips.

"No," she said, continued to be confused. "Should he be?"

"Oh, he just hates my guts for no apparent reason," I mumbled. "No big deal." I still felt queasy and I put my head down on my arms.

"The Cullens don't like anybody...well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them." She stated as if it were nothing new. Which, knowing them – or not knowing them – was true. "But he's still staring at you."

"Stop looking at him, then!" I hissed.

"Want him for yourself? His eyes can't be property, you know."

"Jess, _please, _this is mortifying!" She snickered, but looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that she stayed looking away from them, contemplating if any of the wrestling moves I taught Shawn would work on a real person.

Mike interrupted us then – he as planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. The way Jessica looked at him let me know that she had been lost to his charm and would do it, whether I had or not. I kept quiet. I would have to hide in the gym until the parking lot cleared.

For the rest of the lunch hour, I tried to play it cool but made very sure that I could not see the other table. I decided to honour part of what Arie had said – I would go to Biology, but it was only because he hadn't looked angry. My stomach did traitorous flip-flops at the thought of sitting beside him for a whole hour again.

I didn't really want to walk to class with Mike, he seemed a popular target for snowball snipers, but when we went to the door everyone else groaned in unison. It was raining, washing away all traces of the snow in clear, icy ribbons down the walkway. I pulled my hood up, secretly pleased. I could safely get home after gym without any injuries that weren't inflicted by my own clumsiness.

Once inside the classroom, with Mike hushing his complaints, I saw with relief that my table was empty. Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing a microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I kept my eyes away from the door, doodling in my notebook. I had just finished drawing the head of a dragon when I heard the chair next to move move, but my eyes stayed carefully close to the scales that I hadn't been about to draw, but were suddenly _very _essential...

"Hello," said a quiet, musical voice.

I looked up, too stunned to listen to my instinct and pretend like I hadn't heard him. He was speaking to me now? He was still sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but his chair was actually angled toward me. His hair was dripping wet, dishevelled – even so, he looked like he had just finished shooting a hair gel commercial. His dazzling face was even somewhat friendly, if guarded. But there was a small smile playing on his lips that quickened my pulse.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Liv Swan."

My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up his hostility? He was being perfectly kind to me now, if almost too courteous. I tried to remind my brain how to speak since he was waiting, but I couldn't think of anything conventional to say.

"You know my name?" He laughed a soft, enchanting laugh.

"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive." I grimaced, I had hoped that it wouldn't be something like that. Just remembering what the town thought bout my sudden appearance. I'd heard one of Jessica's little friends – Lauren? – wonder if I was here to raise a baby I didn't intend to keep.

"No," I persisted. "I meant, why did you call me Liv?"

"Do you prefer Vivienne?" He asked, confusedly. I smiled, he added an accent onto it, the way it _should _be said.

"Oh, no, I prefer Liv in most cases," I said. "But I think my dad must call me Viv or Vivienne to everyone else, cause that's how everyone knows me." I tried to explain. I sounded like a moron. I'm sure the conversation was now over.

"Oh." He let it drop. I wasn't sure if I was happy or if I was upset about it. I was somewhat glad that Mr. Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes he would come around to see who had it right. I sighed, hoping that Edward Cullen didn't know what to do either, I'd rather get a fail than look like an idiot because I didn't know what was going on.

I had never learned the stages of mitosis and though I had read the textbook, the pictures didn't actually resemble anything like an onion root, and I was sure that I wouldn't be any help at all.

"Ladies first, partner?" Edward asked. I almost groaned aloud, so today was the day he decided to be a gentleman? He was smiling a crooked smile so beautiful that I warred whether or not I should say no.

"Or I could start, if you wish." The smile faded; he was obviously wondering if I was mentally competent, and something in me worried that he made it so I wasn't.

"No," I said, flushing. "I'll try. But I'm sorry ahead of time."

I snapped the first slide into place and adjusted it quickly to the 40X objective. I studied the slide briefly.

"...Maybe Metophase? No. No, Prophase...I think." Well, I really did sound stupid now.

"Do you mind if I look?" He asked as politely as if I had told him the proper answer, without sounding like an idiot. I passed him the microscope and his hand had caught mine, to stop me, as he asked. His fingers were ice-cold, like he'd been holding them in the snowdrift beore class. But that wasn't why I had jerked my hand away so quickly – when he touched me, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us. It was much stronger than static electricity and yet it was contained only to where his skin touched mine...

"I'm sorry," he muttered, pulling back his hand at once. However, he continued to reach for the microscope. I watched him, still staggered, as he examined the slide for under three seconds.

"You were right, it is prophase." He smiled, writing it neatly n the first space of our worksheet. He swiftly switched slides and glanced at it curiously.

"Anaphase," he murmered almost immediately. I was intimidated by his fancy script and wondered if he had been like me and taken calligraphy classes. His just seemed more natural, I had to actually try to make my writing so neat, otherwise it looked like any other student who was scrambling to get her notes done in time. I would have grabbed the sheet from him were it not for his blatant fear of touching my skin and feeling that shock again. Instead, I decided to try and at least get something educational from it.

"May I?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent, though I wanted to see what it even looked like. Try to somehow relate it to the pictures in the textbook, at least. He smirked and handed me the microscope. I looked through the microscope and examined...if I looked and thought really hard, I could see the similarities to the picture, I guess.

"Slide three?" I held out my hand, without looking at him. He handed it to me, possibly catching on to my test to see if he would touch me. He did not. The look I gave this slide was long, I just wanted to get it right, even if it took me forever to do it.

"Interphase." I said confidently. I was sure I had this one – even if it took forever. He smiled and I handed him the microscope. He took a swift peek and wrote the answer I had said down – I was proud. I had actually learned something in class today, instead of just been paralyzed with fear!

We were finished before anyone else. The other tables seemed to be on their second and third slides and I was pretty proud that I had done at least some of the work. It was clear that Edward Cullen was one of those really smart guys, which was both great and terrible that I was forced to sit beside him. It would make me feel less adequate and make him feel more entitled to go back to glaring at me.

I looked at him briefly, after finishing my drawing of my dragon – now a complete creature with scales and bright vibrant eyes. He was already staring at me, that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly, I indentified the subtle difference I couldn't comprehend at lunch.

"Do you wear contacts?" I blurted out. I had neer been proud of my word vomit.

"No." He answered, seemingly perplexed.

"Oh," I mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your eyes." He shrugged and looked away. I was again impressed by my ability to end conversations so suddenly. But I knew there was something he was telling me, because there _was _something different about his eyes. I distinctly remembered them being as black as coal – no separation between his pupil and his iris. The colour had been terrifying against his pale skin, making him look more like a monster than an angry high school student. But it was today that I noticed his eyes were a completely different colour: an ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tint. I didn't understand how that could work unless he _was _wearing contacts and wanted to be cool – but I could always see the circle left behind where the contacts touched the white, and there was no sign of a contact lense there. Maybe I was going insane?

I looked down guiltily, only to notice that his hands were balled into fists again. I turned in my chair back to my doodles – another day ruined.

Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working or looking at each other. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, then stared more intently to check the answers.

"So, Edward, didn't you think Vivienne should get a chance with the microscope?" He asked, somewhat moodily.

"Liv," Edward corrected automatically, much in the same way I corrected others. My face flushed. "Actually, she identified three of the five."

Mr. Banner looked at me now, remembering how I had told him I had not yet studied cellular division.

"And you haven't done this lab before?"

"No, I just memorized the pictures." I mumbled.

"But it isn't so easy to put that into practice." He argued sceptically. I shrugged.

"I know. And it didn't take me five seconds to identify each slide," I glared at Edward, who smirked. "So I'd have to say that it was honest beginners luck." Mr. Banner nodded in suspicion before muttering to himself about the two of us being partners.

I went back to my doodles.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked. I assumed that he was forcing this conversation so that he could discover something about me, so I put my pencil down in a very defiant way – a way that told him I was ready for anything he threw at me – as I thought of my answer.

"No, actually. Not really." No point in tryig to lie to the guy, I didn't want to sound like everyone else who would have continued that particular conversation no matter their answer. His eyes narrowed in thought.

"You don't like the cold." It was not a question.

"I'm sensitive to it. But I don't like the snow." I shrugged. When I realized I hadn't truly answered him I continued with a simple, "I like thunderstorms."

"Forks must be a nice change from Phoenix, then." I started at the fact he knew I was from Phoenix, but dcided not to ask any more stupid questions.

"Most definitely." I muttered darkly.

He looked fascinated with what I said, for a reason that I couldn't imagine. His face was such a distraction that I tried not to look at it any more than normal people would – which ended up being multiplied by three with the amount of time I did.

"Why did you come here, then?" No one had asked me that – not straight out like he did. I stiffened, actually shivering which he seemed to notice. "You don't _have_ to answer." But he did want me to. I shrugged my shoulders.

"No, it's just-" I ran my hand through my hair. "It's complicated."

"I think I can keep up." There was some joke I didn't understand, or I thought there must have been by the smirk on his face. I paused, wondering how much I could tell him – realizing I probably shouldn't tell him anything. Not after the last time we had been beside each other. But then I made the mistake of looking into his eyes, almost like the honey of his voice. They confused me in their complexity and their beauty and I answered without thinking.

"I couldn't live with my mother, anymore."

"That doesn't sound so complex," he disagreed, but he was quickly very sympathetic. "When did you decide that?"

"I've always thought it. It's been really hard to live with her and her second husband."

"And you don't like him," he surmised, his tone still kind. I shook my head.

"Oh no, Earl's great. He taught me all about cars, taught me all the things boys are supposed to teach. It's just...my Mom..." He looked at me with eyes that made me want to tell my story, but I blushed and averted my gaze. I didn't want him to think I was a terrible person. "I think you might dislike me even _more _if I told you."

"Who said I dislike you?" I snorted.

"Okay..." I thought about how nice Mrs. Cullen had been said to be, thought about how he would never understand. I wondered if he really would think less of me? "I moved away because we knew that if we lived together anymore, we would stop liking each other."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...we were starting to resent each other. I pulled away so that we could eventually stay together." I blushed. "In hindsight it will probably be stupid, but you can't really understand unless you-"

"No, I understand." He said quietly. I breathed deeply, taking a look at him. "So your mother sent you here so that she could love you more later?"

"No," I ignored the blatant use of the L-word. "She did not send me here. I sent myself."

His eyebrows knit together. "I don't understand," he admitted, and he seemed unnecessarily frustrated by that fact. I sighed, why was I talking to him? At all, nevertheless telling him things I haven't even talked to Charlie about? I shouldn't be explaining it as if it were nothing. He continued to stare at me with obvious curiousity.

"Well at first we tried to make it work, but then she got so pushy because of all my job offers-"

"Job offers?"

"I went to a private-ish school." I hated the mocking I got by saying I went to an arts school. I would rather him think I'm some rich, somebody than the artsy nobody I am. "Every few months we would have job fairs...I did-pretty well." I mumbled, my face going red. "She got so pushy about it all. Didn't want me to do _this _subject, needed me to do _that _subject, even if it brought down my academics...I decided to go somewhere I could escape it all."

"But now you're unhappy," he pointed out.

"And?" I challenged.

"That doesn't seem fair." He shrugged, but his eyes were still intensely gauging my reactions. I laughed without humour as I began running my fingers over all the designs on my binder.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair."

"I believe I _have _heard that somewhere before," he agreed dryly.

"So that's all," I insisted, wondering why he was still staring at me that way.

His gaze became appraising. "You put on a good show," he said slowly. "But I'm willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."

I grimaced at him, resisting the impulse to stick out my tongue like a five-year-old, and looked away from him. "Am I wrong?" he asked. I tried to ignore him. "I didn't think so." He murmured smugly.

"What does it matter to _you_?" I asked in irritation. I kept my eyes away, watching the teacher making his rounds. I wish it mattered to someone that I was suffering through these classes because sometimes I couldn't click back into English. French was my default. That language that I thought in, wrote in, lived in...and suddenly it was like going to something you knew, but not something you were familiar with. Like being told to draw a flower; you never know what type of flower, but you know what tons of them look like. Most of my academic classes had been in French at my old school, all the arts subjects were in English – but then you were learning, not just being taught. To me there was a large difference.

"That is a very good question," he muttered, so quietly that I wondered if he was talking to himself. After a few seconds of silence, however, I decided that was the only answer I was going to get. I sighed and went back to scowling at the blackboard.

"Am I annoying you?" he asked. He almost sounded amused. I rounded on him, glancing at him so I could speak – again without thinking. It was a nasty habit with him, it seemed.

"Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. I have crazy facial expressions so my face is easy to read – my friends always say I'm an open book." I frowned.

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." Despite everything that I'd said and he'd guessed, he sounded like he actually meant it. I smirked at him, raising one of my eyebrows.

"You must be good with reading, then," I replied.

"Usually." He smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect, ultra-white teeth. I shivered and felt a strange feeling in my chest, almost like my heart skipped or stuttered. It was strange and it made me glad to listen to Mr. Banner, who was trying to get the classes attention.

I couldn't believe that I had just explained some of the deepest, darkest things in my life to this stranger who, only one week ago, seemed more than happy to hate me. He still may or may not despise me. Then again, he had seemed engrossed in the conversation, but as I watched him from the corner of my eye, I saw that he was leaning away from me again, his hands gripping the edge of the table with unmistakable tension.

I tried to appear attentive to Mr. Banner while being completely attentive towards Edward and his rigid posture. I watched until the bell rang and Edward rushed as swiftly and gracefully from the room as he had the Monday before. And, like last Monday, I stared after him in awe.

"That was awful," Mike groaned, walking over to my desk. "They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner."

"I did some of it." I said, stung and defensive. He shrugged as we started to walk out of the classroom.

"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," he commented lightly. He didn't seem pleased about this new piece of information. I tried to be indifferent with a shrug.

"Guess he isn't as pissed as he was last Monday."

I could concentrate on Mike's chatter as we walked to Gym, but the class itself didn't hold any of my attention: which was bad. Luckily Mike was on my team today and he chivalrously covered my position and his own. My daze was only ever distracted when it was my turn to serve; my team ducked warily out of the way every time I went up.

The rain was just mist when I walked through the parking lot, but I was happier when I was in the cab. It was warmer in here, just because it wasn't so sticky. I got the heater running, for once not caring about the growl of my engine and fluffed my damp hair so that the heater could dry it on the way home.

I looked around me to make sure it was all clear, but that's when I noticed the still, white figure. Edward Cullen was leaning against his Volvo, three spaces down from me. He was staring intently in my direction...and I almost let out a strangled giggle of nervousness. It made me slip on the gear and stall the vehicle – and for those who don't understand what that means, it means I jump forward. Since I was reversing, however, I almost jumped back into a rusty Toyota Corolla before I hit the break. It was the first time my reflexes had worked like they were supposed to, and had I not been so shaken up, I would have given myself a pat on the back.

I took a deep breath, still looking out the other side of my car, and cautiously pulled out again, with greater success. I stared straight ahead as I passed the Volvo, but from my peripheral vision, I would swear I saw him laughing.

**I hope you enjoyed that one guys, I love it when Edward is brought in. Honestly, I really forgot how much I loved the character before I started writing this. Guys, do you remember before he was a jerk that left Bella in the second book? Do you? Oops. I gave away the possible sequel to this story. But it shall only be so if you **_**review**_**! Please and thank you!**

**-Egypt**


	4. Phenomena

**Here's the big chapter, the one where everything begins! As you can see, I'm getting through this one rather quickly because of how I don't get writers block :P So, you'll be getting **_**three **_**chapters of this tonight. I hope you enjoy the big **Edward and _Vivienne _**scene!**

**This belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I also believe that if I belong to her, I get to meet Jacob Black and possibly keep him. So, Renesmee? Buzz off. Find someone your own size and let the **_**real **_**perfect women for Jacob Black get in on the action!**

Chapter Three – Phenomenon

When I finally was able to force my eyes open from my groggy state the next morning, I noticed something was wrong immediately. Not wrong – something was different.

It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no fog veiling my window. I jumped up to look outside, and then I bit back a scream. A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted my truck, and whitened the road. But that wasn't the worst part. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid – coating the needles of the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, and making the driveway a deadly ice slick. I had enough trouble not falling down when the ground was dry; I would be walking on a skating rink when I was walking on grass.

Yes. It would most definitely be more beneficial than school if I were to go back to bed, _right now._

Groaning, I got out of bed and trudged downstairs with my bright emerald comforter still overtop of my head and around my shoulders. I was not a morning person nd was glad that Charlie had already left for work because of my more than humiliating display of exhaustion. In a way, I realized that living with my Dad was like living on my own and I found myself liking the time to think and be alone rather than dwelling within the fact I could do embarrassing things that no one would ever know about.

I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange juice straight from the carton. Besides the icy warning signs that I shouldn't, I felt excited to go to school – and that was bad. It was kind of scary – but I wouldn't admit to myself why. I knew it wasn't the stimulating learning environment that I was anticipating, or seeing my new set of friends. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was this eager to get to school just so I could lay eyes on Edward Cullen. And that was very, very stupid.

I should be avoiding him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing display yesterday. Not only had I proven myself less academically apt than him, I had babbled my life story as if it were the teenage angst best selling story of the decade. And I was suspicious of him; what was the point of lying about his eyes? I was still upset by the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him, and I was still tongue tied whenever I pictured his face. I was well aware that my league and his were like the sun and the moon, though I couldn't be sure which was which. Either way, they would never be able to get along and work it out. Ever.

So I must be the moon. Shakespeare dictates that the moon is always envious of the sun.

Which was exactly why I shouldn't have been so anxious to see him today.

It took every ounce of my concentration to make it down the icy brick driveway alive. It was a feat that didn't go as smoothly as planned. I did slip right on my ass, more than once, and I almost went into the splits half a dozen times. When I finally got to the truck, I managed to cling to the side mirror to save myself. There was a moment I was worried it would split from the body, but the nightmarish day was only giving me a warning of what was yet to come.

Driving to school, I distracted myself from my fear of falling and my unwanted speculations about Edward Cullen by thinking about Mike and Eric, both boys who undoubtedly liked me. I didn't really understand why – people had had crushes on me before, just like I had had crushes on others – but to have two boys enamoured by me at the same time? Mon Dieu, it had never come close to happening! I was sure that I looked the same as I did in Phoenix, with even more skin covered up. Maybe it was just that the boys back home had watched me go through all my awkward stages? The acne, the chubby, the braces? Maybe it was because I was a novelty here, where those rarities were not to be wasted. Or maybe my crippling clumsiness was considered adorable? I'd heard it once or twice but I had never thought that guys _actually _liked the girl who needed to play damsel in distress. Whatever the reason, Mike's puppy dog behaviour and Eric's apparent rivalry with him were disconcerting. I wasn't sure if I didn't prefer being ignored.

...Never mind, I know I would have.

My truck didn't seem to have any problems getting over the black ice like my feet had. I drove slowly and carefully anyway, not wanting to carve a path of destruction through Main Street. I was completely aware of everything around me, every car that had the ability to fishtail, every car that had the ability to cut me off, every car that had the ability to get me killed on this transparent no man's land.

When I got my truck to the school, I climbed out carefully, knowing that I was not as graceful as my fifty plus year old truck. I quickly saw what made the ride different easier than my shoes when something silver caught my eye. I walked over to my tire and examined the silver chain criss-crossed over them. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my truck...

My chest swelled and my mouth dropped in what should have been an 'awe' sound. I wasn't used to be taken care of like that, and Charlie's unspoken concern caught me by intimate and heavily appreciated surprise.

I was standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the urge to text and tell my father of the sudden wave of appreciation him when I heard an odd sound that didn't match what I knew of school parking lots.

It was a high-pitched squeal, and it was becoming painfully loud very quickly. I looked up, startled as I tried to process the terrible sound that was overwhelming my eardrums.

I saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much more quickly, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things all at once.

Edward Cullen wsa standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked, anti-lock brakes screeching, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to lose my eyes.

Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icy blacktop and I cried out in pain as stars burst from beneath my eyelids. I was lying on the pavement behind the tan Subaru I'd been parked beside. I felt something cold and solid pin me to the ground, electrocuting me and opening my eyes in another wave of shock because I watched as the van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again.

A low swear made me aware that someone was with me, and the voice was impossible not to recognize. I felt myself whisper his name and something else that I don't remember forming in thought, though I remember it being in French. Two white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot away from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent scooped out of the van's body.

Then his hands moved so fast that they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag dolls, til they hit the tire of the tan car. A groaning metallic thud hurt my ears and I cried out again, but the van settled down, glass popping onto the asphalt – exactly where my legs had been only a moment before.

It was absolutely silent for what felt like a lifetime as I gazed into Edward's eyes. I closed my own contentedly. The silence was so relaxing after the screeching tires.

And then the screaming began. I kept my eyes closed, hoping I could drown them out. It was much nicer, the silence. I should have stayed at home with or without Charlie – he was one of the rare few who appreciated silence. But in the real and abrupt riot out in the land of the conscious, I could hear more than one person shouting my name. But more clearly I could hear Edward Cullen's low, frantic voice in my ear.

"Liv, Liv are you okay?" His voice sounded strange, the English was again having a hard time mixing in my brain to what the meanings were in French. That is not how the sentence would be constructed in French, the grammar was all wrong...

"No." I groaned, as I began to understand the question.

"Open your eyes." Suddenly, it was much more clear to understand what he was saying to me. And it was because he was speaking to me in French. He was so considerate to – _wait_. I opened my eyes, the confusion flung them up like blinds that were opened to quickly. The light burned and I winced. "Are you all right?"

"I'm...fine." I stuttered. My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up and realized that he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp.

"Be careful," he warned, speaking slowly as I struggled to look around me. "I think you hit your head pretty hard." It was then, as if he had triggered it, that I became aware of the throbbing ache centered above my left ear.

"Ow!" I yelled in surprise. And then the French started. The only French that my father knew. I could have sworn that I heard him chuckle from beside me.

"That's what I thought." I was right. His voice was, amazingly, holding back laughter.

"How in the..." I trailed off, trying to clear my mind, get my bearings, trying to think in English. "How did you get here so fast?"

"I was standing right next to you, Liv." He said, his tone had once again grown serious. I turned to sit up, and this time he let me, releasing his hold around my waist and sliding as far from me as he could in what little space we had. I looked at his concerned, innocent expression and was disoriented again by the force of his gold-coloured eyes. What was I asking him?

And then they found us, a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, shouting back at us, as if we could decipher what they were screaming and to whom.

"Don't move!"

"Someone get Tyler out of the van!"

There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up but Edward's cold hand pushed my shoulder down, my body followed him instinctively as I leaned into his jacket, my head was as heavy as a bag of bricks. He had no problem supporting it.

"Just stay put for now."

"But I'm so cold," I complained. It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath. There was an edge to the sound. Then, lightning.

"You were over there," I remembered. His chuckle stopped short. "You were by your car."

His expression immediately hardened. "No, I wasn't."

"I saw you." All around us was chaos. Nothing was making sense besides the fact that I knew he was lying to me. There was no misunderstanding, I knew what I had seen. I was right, he was going to admit it. I was sick of him taking advantage of me – my newness, the weakness in my knees...

"Vivienne," the sound of my full name sounded like I was being scolded. "I was standing with you and I pulled you out of the way." He unleashed the full, devastating power of his golden eyes on me, as if trying ot communicate something crucial that I refused to listen to.

"No." I set my jaw.

The golden eyes blazed more. "Please, Liv."

"Why?" I demanded. I was not going to lie for someone who couldn't even do me the decencly of liking me half the time. He shook his head, looking at the people around for less than a second, trying to communicate something else that I couldn't understand.

"Trust me," he pleaseded, his voice was so overwhelming that I felt myself crumble.

"Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"

"Fine," he snapped, abruptly exhasperated.

"Fine." I repeated angrily. It seemed to catch him off guard. I swore in French under my breath once again. Charlie would have been disgusted.

It took six EMTs and two teachers to shift the van away enough so that they could bring the stretchers in. Edward vehemently refused his and when I tried to do the same he turned traitor and confided to them that I had hit my head and would most likely have a concussion. I almost died from the humiliation when they tried to put on the neck brace. I fought against it for a good three minutes before Edward fixed me with his stare and told me to let them do their job. I was sure that I had turned into puddy, which was the only excuse and reason I let them do it.

The entire school seemed to be there, watching me be loaded into the back of the ambulance. The traitor got to ride in the front, but I could feel his eyes almost constantly on me and every time I would complain, his chuckle sounded to my side. It made me complain more.

To make matters worse, Chief Swan arrived before they could get me safely away.

"Vivienne!" My Dad yelled in panic when he recognized me on the stretcher.

"I'm fine, Dad," I sighed. "Really, there's nothing wrong with me, this is really stupid and you should start remembering your French now to understand what I'm thinking."

He turned to the closest EMT for a second opinion. I tuned him out to consider the jumble of inexplicable images churning chaotically in my head. Any reputation or friends I had yet to meet in this school were officially gone. They may as well have been strangers all over again. And not to mention as I had been pulled away I had seen the dent in the tan car's bumper – in the exact well sculpted shape of Edward's shoulders...as if he braced himself against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame...

In the distance I could identify his family very clearly. They had expressions that ranged from disapproval to fury, but held no hint of concern for their brother's safety. It sent off more warning flares. It was the one sign that something was wrong and there was a chance that I wasn't actually insane at all.

Naturally the ambulance got a police escort to the county hospital. I felt ridiculous the whole time they were unloading me and to make it worse, Edward simply glided through the hospital doors under his own power. I ground my teeth together and tried to hold back a scream – I screamed at my Dad once when he asked if they would be taking an x-ray.

"Don't give them ideas!"

They put me in a long room with a line of beds separated by oddly patterned curtains: this was a tiny emergency room. A nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm, a thermometer in my mouth, and a clip on my finger. I've been to the hospital often, it's a trip I make at a minimum of three times a year, yet I had never felt so babied. I took the first chance I saw – the nurse with her back turned – to undo the Velcro of my neck brace and throw it under the bed.

There was another group of doctors and nurses as another stretcher was brought to me. I recognized Tyler Crowley fom my Government class beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around his head. Tyler looked one hundred times worse than I felt which made me feel one hundred times worse than he looked. But he was ignoring his injuries and staring at me guiltily.

"Viv, I am so sorry!"

"Tyler, I'm fine. You look like death, are you all right?" As we spoke, nurses began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shallow slices all over his forhead and left cheek. It was bleeding a lot for how shallow the little gashes were and suddenly I only felt fifty times worse than he looked, instead of the full one hundred. It wouldn't disfigure him.

"I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong..." he winced as a nurse started dabbing at his face.

"I said don't worry about it; you missed me."

"How'd you get out of the way so fast? You were there, and then you were gone..." I narrowed my eyes.

I had just ruled out my option of insanity.

"Yeah...Edward pulled me out of the way."

He looked confused. "Who?"

"Edward? Edward Cullen? He was..." I paused and took a breath.

"Are you alright?" He asked quickly, noticing my pause. "They said you hit your head, too."

"No, no, I'm fine." I insisted. I was a terrible liar. "Edward was standing right next to me." I didn't sound convincing at all and I would be surprised if he bought it considering my terrible pauses.

"Cullen? I didn't see him...wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?"

"I think so." I answered honestly. "He's here somewhere, but they didn't make him use a stretcher."

Now that I knew I wasn't crazy, I needed to try and figure out what had happened. There was no way to properly explain everything I had seen. I had seen him by his car...then I saw Tyler's van...then I felt something hit me and then he was there...

No. It really _is _impossible.

I tried to fall asleep as they wheeled me away to go to my X-ray. My head was pounding and even when I told them there was nothing wrong besides the fact they hadn't given me painkillers, they refused to listen. In the end, I was right. There was no concussion – okay, there was a little one, but not one even worth anything other than being woken up every two hours or so. No big deal. It obviously wasn't that serious. I had asked to leave but the nurse said I had to wait to talk to the doctor. And so I was trapped in the ER, waiting for the doctor and pushing away the headache I already had as well as the one I was getting from Tyler's constant apologies. I told him not to worry about it, but he continued anyway. When I closed my eyes this time, I really did lan to fall asleep. Just to ignore him and just to make the world go away.

"Is she sleeping?" a musical voice asked. My eyes flew open. Edward was standing at the foot of my bed, smirking down at me. I raised my eyes to glare at him but I knew that I had fallen short, it was hard to dislike a guardian angel.

Ew. Had I just stooped that low and thought that?

"Hey, Edward, I'm really sorry –" Tyler begn. Edward lifted a hand to stop him.

"No blood, no foul," he said, flashing his bright and brilliant smile to him. He moved to sit on the edge of Tylers bed, completely ignoring him. He smirked again.

"So, what's the verdict?" he asked me.

"There's nothing wrong with me – _just like I said_." Even I heard the lie in my voice. "Okay, fine. Small concussion. Little, baby one. No big deal. They won't let me go until I speak with a doctor." He raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged. "Probably just protocol." Then, my glare became real as I struggled against the sheet. "Hey! How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?"

"It's all about who you know," he winked. My breath hitched. "But don't worry, I came to spring you."

Then I was glad I knew him. The doctor walked around the corner and my mouth fell open. He was young, he was blonde, and he was more gorgeous than any movie or soap opera star I had ever had the pleasure to lay my eyes on. He was pale, with circles under his eyes. It was from my Dad's description that I knew this to be Edward's father.

"So, Miss Swan," Dr. Cullen said with remarkable tenor and sweetness, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." I said and I hoped to God it was for the last time. He walked to the lightboard on the wall over my head and turned it on.

"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Does your head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."

"It's fine," I repeated with a sigh, throwing a not-so-subtle glare towards Edward who was innocently looking around the hospital room. What was he, twelve? I sat still as the doctor's cool fingers started to probe lightly around my skull. I prepared myself as he neared where it had hit but hadn't done well enough to go without a small wince. He and Edward both seemed to notice automatically.

"Tender?"

"In comparison to other miraculous escapes I've made? Not at all." I smiled. I heard a chuckle and looked over to Edward who was outwardly laughing at me.

"And those come _how _often?" I blushed. Oh, he was being sarcastic. Well, did I have news for him.

"The _real_ funny thing here is that you still think I'm joking." His smile momentarily faded, before he chuckled again. I narrowed my eyes.

"It seems someone will have to keep a close eye on you, Liv."

I secretly hoped that he had assigned himself to that duty. The doctor cleared his throat, throwing my attention rattling back to him.

"Well, your father is in the waiting room – you can go home now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all, your father has been given instructions on how to take care of you."

"Can't I go back to school?" I asked, imagining Charlie trying to be attentive. It would be an awkward fate for the both of us. I just wanted to go to school and show everyone that I was okay, that no one needed to baby me or ask me how I was doing. I was _fine._

"Maybe you should take it easy today." Dr. Cullen suggested. I narrowed my eyes and in one of my more childish moments pointed straight to Edward.

"Does _he _get to go to school?"

"Someone has to spread the good news that we survived," Edward said smugly.

"Actually," Dr. Cullen corrected with a meaningful look towards him. "Most of the school seems to be in the waiting room."

"No!" I groaned. "C'est monde cruelle!" I began a rant in French, careful not to add any swear words in case the good doctor knew any French like his son seemed to. Edward just started to chuckle again and Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows.

"Do you want to stay?"

"No, no!" I insisted, throwing my legs over the bed and hopping down too quickly. I had to use the bed to steady myself and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes – when had they closed? – both Cullen's were ready to catch me. Before they could say anything I repeated my mantra: "I'm fine."

"Take some Tylenol for the pain," he suggested as I steadied.

"It...doesn't hurt that bad..." I insisted. But I was a terrible liar and the doctor raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"It sounds like you were extremely lucky." Dr. Cullen said, turning his eyes down to my chart which he signed with a beautiful flourish, his writing just as elegant as his son's.

"I am _very _lucky that Edward was there to save the day." I amended with a hard glance. That wasn't a lie, so it was natural. I tried the lie on my tongue. "He was standing right next to me." It sounded slightly robotic, but I tried to make it as realistic as possible.

Whether it was believable or not, I didn't know. But I was proud. It was definitely the best I had ever done. I usually had no need to lie. I didn't usually do things wrong and when I did, I usually admit to it as soon as it would come up. Now was the exception. Now I _needed _to lie until I found out if it was even worth lying for.

Which I didn't even need to wait to know. I knew it was.

"Oh, well, yes," Dr. Cullen agreed, suddenly very interested in Tyler's charts. He then turned away and began to talk to Tyler. My mother was a psychologist, as was her sister – a Criminal Profiler, in fact. I knew what that meant. I narrowed my eyes to him and then to Edward: the Doc was in on it too!

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I hissed under my breath. He took a step back from me, suddenly much more serious and a type of stiffness you would see from a cocky business man.

"Your father is waiting for you," he muttered through his teeth. I glanced at Dr. Cullen and Tyler to make sure that they weren't listening.

"I'd like to speak with you alone, please and thank you." I pressed. He glared at me and I sighed, so we were back on this territory. The territory where you get creepy black eyes and look like you want to eat me alive. Great.

He turned his back and started running down the hall so that I nearly had to run to keep up. This resulted in me shouldering a doorway rather painfully and hissing at it. It was then that he stopped and spun around to face me.

"What do you want?" he asked me, sounding annoyed. His eyes were once again cold and my breath stuttered at the sight. It was one thing to have it engrained in my memories, but it was another to see it in the flesh. And this time it wasn't me trying to ignore the stare, even if his eyes were still golden, but this time I was shrinking away from it: absolutely terrified by the intensity behind his anger. It intimidated me. My words came out far less confident than I had wanted them to be.

"You remember what you owe me?" When he said nothing, I elaborated. "I want an explanation."

"I saved your life – I don't owe you anything." I flinched back from the resentment, which he seemed to see. He had found my weak point now, I could see it in his eyes. I planted my feet, holding strong.

"You promised me."

"Liv, you hit your head. You don't know what you're talking about."

Now my temper flared. "There is nothing wrong with my head."

"What do you want from me, Vivienne?" He glared.

"I want to know the truth." I insisted, as if it were obvious. "Tell me why I'm lying for you."

"Hm. And what do you _think _happened?"

"Well...first you weren't anywhere near me – Tyler didn't see you either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. You were not there. Then-then you somehow got to me and the van – the van was going to crush us both. But it didn't. And your hands, they left dents int he side of it – the other car too! But you aren't hurt at all, you didn't even need to ride the in the ambulance, you just _did _– and the van should have crushed my legs but you were holding it up _and _you moved them..."

I could hear how insane it sounded, but I couldn't continue further than I already had. I was so frustrated that I could feel the tears prickling at my eyes, but I did not cry, I would not cry. I tried to force them back by remembering why I was so angry. It was hard to do when I was so intimidated by the beautiful, vicious creature in front of me, but now he was staring at me incredulously, like what I had said was a shock to him. But I could tell he was guarded.

"You think I lifted a van off you?" His tone questioned my sanity – which made me more suspicious. He had not agreed with or denied my story. It was like he was an actor with a very set script. I did the same thing when I was lying because I knew that if I said the words directly, they would never come out right. Because of the frustration building up behind my eyes, I could only nod.

"No one will believe that, you know." His voice held an edge of derision, now. I blinked a couple times, looking at him in shock.

"I-I'm not going to _tell _anybody." I said each word carefully, letting him know that the idea was foreign to me.

"Then why does it matter?" He asked, the surprise on his face now blatantly matching the shock on my own. I took a deep breath, centering myself.

"It matters to me. I don't like – I don't lie. Ever, in case you haven't been able to tell. I want to make sure there's a good reason for me to even put forth the effort."

"Can't you just thank me and get over it?" He asked in exhasperation.

"Thank you." I waited.

"You're not going to let it go, are you?"

"Not a chance." His eyes narrowed at me and there was a moment where we just glared at each other.

"In that case...I hope you enjoy disappointment."

We scowled at each other, but for some reason, neither of us seemed able to move. I was the first to speak, only because I was trying to keep myself together beore I fell apart. I was in danger of being distracted by his livid, glorious face.

"Why did you even bother?" I asked in a dejected, yet somehow angry whisper. He paused and or a brief moment his stunning face was unexpectedly vulnerable.

"I don't know." He whispered. And just like that, he turned his back on me and walked away.

It took a while before I could move. I was so flushed with emotion – anger, sadness, rejection, worry, curiosity – that when I could walk, I was shakey as I made my way to the exit at the end of the hall. It may have been this that made the waiting room worse than I had feared. It seemed like every face I knew in Forks was there, staring at me. Charlie rushed to my side; I put up my hands.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with me – don't even start." I assured him, authoritatively. I was still aggravated and though I didn't mean to, I knew I was taking it out on him.

"What did the doctor say? I was told there _was _something wrong – a nice concussion, in fact." He asked, not believing my diagnosis.

"Dr. Cullen saw me," I threw a name I kenw he would trust. "And he said I was fine and could go home." I sighed. Mike, Jessica, and Eric were all there, beginning to converge on us. "Let's just go, please?"

Charlie put one arm behind my back, not quite touching me, and led me to the glass doors of the exit. I waved sheepishly at my friends, hoping to convey that they should all stop worrying about me. It was a huge relief – the first time I'd ever felt that way – to get into the cruiser. Not nearly as embarrassing as I had feared.

We drove home in silence and I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely knew Charlie was there. I was positive that Edward's decisive behaviour in the hall was a confirmation of the bizarre things I had managed to stumble out, that I had witnessed when he had saved my life. It was when we got to the house that my Dad finally spoke.

"Uh...you need to call Sarah." He hung his head as my eyes bulged out of my head.

"You told Mom! What were you _thinking?_"

"Sorry." I slammed the cruiser's door a little harder than necessary on my way out and called my Mom, who was of course in hysterics and trying to get me to come back to Phoenix that day so that a 'proper physician' could look me over. I told her that I was feeling better about six hundred times before she would calm down, where she pleaded more. She even got Arie on the phone, who had been over at my house to email me my essays when my Mother had heard the news. It was the second time Arie had cried for me in a month.

But their pleas for me to come back were easier to ignore. I was completely absorbed by the mystery Edward Cullen represented, and even more foolishly I seemed to be getting more and more obsessed with Edward himself. It was stupid. And I should be more eager and jumping on the opportunity of home instead of worrying solely on a _boy – _who may or may not possess some form of mutant, superhero, or supernatural capabilities.

I decided I may as well go to bed early that night, since I had nothing to do anyway. Charlie continued to watch me like a hawk and check on me every half hour and though it was getting on my nerves, I accepted it humbly. It was sweet in his own, awkward way. I stopped on my way to grab five Aleve from the bathroom. They did help and as the pain eased, I drifted off to sleep without so much as the sound of the rain or music to help me.

That was the first night I dreamed in such vivacity of Edward Cullen.

**Yay! So, the story has begun. As you can see I'm starting to separate Vivienne and Bella more and more by how they are reacting and thinking about things. I'm just trying to give her more character and really the only reason I made her look different and have a different name was because I know that the name 'Bella' is going to make you think about the original Bella the entire time you read it. It has a stereotype that isn't as nice as it should be for such a pretty name.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, please, please, please ****review****!**

**-Egypt**


	5. Invitations

**Alright, last chapter update for the night. I hope you guys appreciate it. Any of you thinking that you will want to see Vivienne in the other stories? Because I'm telling you, if I get enough reviews I'm **_**really **_**going to Bella Bash and make New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn into something even more page turning than it was...or that's the hope. Review? Yeees.**

**Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Nightfall and all it's original characters belong to me. Meaning not any of the ones you love most, obviously.**

Chapter Four – Invitations

My dream was dark and what little light I could see seemed to be emanating from Edward's own skin as he walked away from me. I couldn't see his face as he left me alone in the darkness, no matter how fast I would run I could not catch him. I fought against the speed barriers harder. I tried calling out, but there was not one time I did where he would answer me. I woke up startled in the middle of the night and took my sweet time to get back to sleep. He was in every dream I ever had after that point, but he was always on the sidelines and never within my grasp.

The month that followed the accident was very tense and even more embarrassing. To my dismay I seemed to be the center of attention for that week. Tyler was impossible: constantly following me around, obsessed with apologizing, and continually just waiting for a way to make it all up to me. No matter how much I told him that was not even close to what I wanted: he refused to listen. I told him I wanted to forget about it all, but that didn't seem an option for him. It was burned into his memory and there it would stay. When he started to infiltrate our group of friends – yes, that is how bad it got – Mike and Eric were shorter with him than they were with each other. I laughed at the idea of them coming together over a greater common enemy – someone new to steal my affections! It was like my own comic book; if only they knew...

No one seemed concerned about Edward at all, even after I explained over and over again that he really was the hero – how he had pulled me out of the way and was nearly crushed himself. It wasn't hard when I always put the story that way – all I would have to add was a simple '_but he wasn't_' and my story could be plausible. This made it easy to tell because my head would always fill in that final blank. It was easy to deter people from the truth when they would ask if the rumours were true – about him being right beside me. I'd hum my affirmation. Jessica, Eric, and Mike were the only ones who ever commented that they hadn't even seen him there until the van was pulled away. I figured I was in the clear.

I wondered constantly why no one had seen him standing by his car. I mean, technically I hadn't seen how he had gotten so close, so quickly but had no one else seen him to begin with? When he was still at point A? And that's when it hit me, I realized that no one was as conscious of Edward Cullen's presence as I was. No one watched him like I did, no one felt his presence and wished that his presence was constantly there, like I constantly did. How pathetic.

Edward was never surrounded by crowds of curious bystanders eager for his firsthand account. People still kept to their wide birth of him and his family, the lucky jerks. The Cullens and the Hales sat at the same table as always, not eating, talking only among themselves. Not one of them glanced my way anymore. Not even Edward.

When we were in class together he was totally ignorant of my presence and had taken to angling his chair away from me and staying at the extreme opposite side of the desk. It was only now and then, when his fists would suddenly ball up, that I wondered whether or not he was as oblivious as he let on.

It was clear what he thought – he shouldn't have pulled me from in front of Tyler's van. That was all it had to come down to. I wanted very much to talk to him and I had tried once or twice. I felt bad that the last time we had talked it had been out of viciousness and unrequited curiousity. I still was angry that he wouldn't trust me with the truth, even though I was keeping my part of the bargain flawlessly...only because I could tip-toe around the actual _lie _itself. But it still counted! Either way, he had saved my life and the anger I had felt by being so left out of the secret had quickly fade into gratitude and awe.

I had said hello to him once, the day after it had happened. I apologized for my behaviour, as well. He had turned his head, his eyes soft and curious before he nodded to me, and regained his position as far from me as possible. And that was it. That was the only contact I had had, even though he sat only two feet away from me every single day. I watched him sometimes – it was the best I could do, behaviour wise and I had a feeling if I cut myself from that I would have turned into a full-blown stalker. I was fascinated as I watched his eyes get darker day by day. In class I gave no more notice that he existed than he had shown me and I was completely miserable. To make it worse? The dreams continued full force.

Vivid dreams. Very realistic and brightly coloured, wonderful, horrible and miraculous Edward-tastic dreams continued. The dreams where I never saw his face, never touched him, and could never catch him – but it was more constant than the Edward Cullen in real life, and so the dreams gave me some small piece of fantasy that he refused to fill in for me.

Despite my outright cyber-lies, Arie was alerted to my depression and had called nearly every other night, not caring about the long distance charges. I tried to convince her it was the weather that brought me down, but each day she would ask about the crazy boy who saved my life – she had caught on, even if she knew I wasn't ready to admit it.

Mike, at least, was pleased by the obvious coolness between my lab partner and me. I could see that his fear had been that I would go into the Tyler scenario with Edward Cullen, since I was now indebted to him, but he was very relieved when I seemed to be showing all the opposite signals...to which he caught on, anyway. He grew much more bold, even daring to sit at the edge of my table and making plans, which he would later refer to as 'dates' with me before Bio started – all the while ignoring Edward Cullen's very existence.

The best thing that came out of that icy day was that it rained soon after the accident and the snow was washed away for good. Mike was disappointed that he had never gotten to throw his attack plans during a snowball fight into action, but was happy that the beach trip could be fast occurring. The rain continued heavily, though, as the weeks passed.

Jessica made me aware of another event looming on the horizon – she called the first Tuesday of March to ask my permission to invite Mike to the "Girls' choice spring dance" in two weeks.

"Are you sure you don't mind...you weren't planning on asking him?" she persisted when I told her that I didn't mind in the least. I knew she was only protesting to try and seem less selfish than she was, but I gave her brownie points for even getting that far.

"I definitely wasn't going to ask him. I usually don't take dates. I doubt I can even go." I gave three statements all at once, even though I had to bite my tongue after the last one. I could most certainly go, I just really didn't want to.

"It will be really fun." Her attempted to convince me was as half-hearted as I expected it to be. I knew that she enjoyed my masked popularity more than my company. But I didn't want to go. Not when I could expect _him _there.

"You'll just need to have fun with Mike. Take pictures so I can relive it with you later."

The next day I was surprised that Jessica wasn't her bubbly, give-all-the-details self in Trig. The pattern continued all through Spanish. She was silent as we walked the halls between classes, which made me more afraid to ask her than anything. So I didn't. Normally she would have exploded with gossip by now, which told me there was no gossip to tell. Something told me that it had to do with Mike Newton, and if Mike had turned her down, I was the last person she would want to confide in.

I knew I was right during Lunch when Jessica and Mike sat at polar opposite sides of the table. Jessica was even talking it up with Eric – who annoyed her senselessly – to try and see if she could get a rise out of Mike. But Mike was quiet all through lunch, even more so when he walked with me to class. The look of discomfort was a bad sign. He didn't talk to me at all before I found him perched on my desk, waiting for class to start. I was trying not to be as electrically aware of Edward Cullen who was currently sitting close enough to touch.

"So," Mike said, rather loudly. His eyes were not looking at me and I froze. Please, don't let this happen... "Jessica asked me to the spring dance."

"That's great." My voice was somewhat strained, which I immediately worried would give him the wrong impression. "You'll have a lot of fun with Jess."

"Well..." he floundered as he examined my smile; he had not expected that response and I could tell he felt I was snubbing him – which I was. "I told her I would have to think about it."

A look of horror crossed my face. That explained it all, the lack of tears because of the false hope. I let the disapproval colour my face, hoping that he hadn't levelled off the playing field to give a giant 'no' to her. "Why'd you say something stupid like that?"

Ah, too blunt, Liv. Now his face was as red as a tomato and he looked down. Pity shook my resolve and I actually felt bad for him. I knew what it was like to have an unrequited crush.

"I was wondering if...well, if you might be planning to ask me." My mouth flipped open an it took me a moment to close it. I can't believe he'd actually had the courage to outright say it. I saw in my peripheral as Edward's head reflexively tilted to clearly hear my response. It made it all the more humiliating.

"Mike..." I said, feeling somewhat guilty. "I think you should tell her yes."

"Did you already ask someone?" I really hoped Edward didn't notice how Mike's eyes had flickered over to him. I felt the guilt be replaced with indignation.

"No." I assured him, watching as Edward's held tilted even more to hear my reason. I made quick work of making my final decision and tilted my chin up to continue. "I'm not going."

"Why not?" Mike all but demanded.

Ah. Hadn't thought that far ahead. Now I either had to lie or actually make up plans. What was something I wanted to do that put me out of going to a dance where Edward would be his confusing self and Mike would want to dance with me rather than Jessica?

"I'm going to Seattle that Saturday." I explained, glad it didn't sound like a lie. I had to find a bookstore or some sort, besides that I wanted to buy a few things and remember what it's like to live in the city. It would be a nice day to myself.

"Can't you go some other weekend?" Yes, but I won't tell you that.

"You shouldn't make Jess wait any longer – it's rude. I'll see you when I get back."

"Yeah, you're right." He mumbled and turned around dejectedly to go back to his own lab bench. I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers against my temples, trying to push the guilt, sympathy, and annoyance out from my mind. Mr. Banner had just walked into the room as I was getting my cell phone out.

_You won't believe what just happened. Why aren't you here to fight the boys off?_ I text Arie moodily. I sighed and looked up.

Edard Cullen was staring at me curiously, that same, familiar edge of frustration even more distinct now in his black eyes. I was so surprised that I stared back, expecting him to look quickly away. He must have taken it as a challange because he continued to gaze with probing intensity right into my own dark eyes. There was no question of me looking away. My hands started to grip my cell phone more tightly.

"Mr. Cullen?" the teacher called, seeking the answer to a question that I hadn't even heard. Edward took in a breath, holding my gaze for a moment longer as he turned to look at Mr. Banner.

"The Krebs Cycle." He answered, getting gold stars once again. I took a deep breath, angry with the rush of emotion that was running through me – just because he had happened to look at me for the first time in six weeks...give or take. I hated that he had this level of control over my mind. It was pathetic and proving to be unhealthy.

I took this time to check my phone to see that I had a response from Arie. Flipping it open as quietly and discretely as I could to read it.

_That Edward kid better not be hurting you anymore or so help me I'm on the next flight._

I heard a chuckle that made me slam my phone shut, the distinct sound of it catching me some glares from other students, too afraid to use their cell phones during the lecture. I looked over to Edward, who was again looking at me, chuckling openly. His eyes looked down to my phone than over to the board. Completely humiliated, I threw my hair between us and refused to look at him or the rest of the lesson.

I was relieved when the bell rang and turned to gather my things, thinking that as always Edward Cullen would have run away. I was shocked to see him watching me again, but ignored him as I looked down and watched as I shoved my books with unnecessary force into my bag.

"Liv?" His voice shouldn't have been so familiar to me, as if the sound had been engrained in my memory over such a short period of time. I looked up at him, trying to calm the emotions I knew would overtake me when I looked at his too-perfect face. My expression was warped when I met eyes with him; his expression was unreadable. And he was silent.

"What? Now we're on buddy-buddy speaking terms?"

His lips twitched like he was fighting a smile. "No, not really," he admitted.

I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly through my nose, aware that I was grinding my teeth viciously. He waited for my involuntary response to be over. "What do you want, Edward?" I asked as I kept my eyes closed. It was easier to talk to him this way.

"I'm sorry." I opened my eyes because of the sincerity and yet seriousness of his tone. It was like he was apologizing for more than I knew. "I'm being very rude, I know. But it's better this way, really."

"I don't understand what you're getting towards."

"It's better if we're not friends," he elaborated. "Trust me."

My eyes narrowed. I had heard that before. "It's too bad you didn't figure that out earlier," I hissed through my teeth as I shoved my pencil case in my book bag and threw it over my shoulder. "You could have saved yourself all this regret."

"Regret?" I had obviously caught him off guard with my tone and my abrupt urge to leave him standing in my dust. "Regret for what?"

"For not just letting the van clobber me." He stared at me in disbelief and astonishment, which quickly turned to some form of irritation.

"You think I regret saving your life?"

"I _know _you do." I snapped.

"You don't _know _anything." Well, at least now I knew that he was definitely mad at me. I turned my head away from him and started walking past him and out the door, ignoring Mike who was still talking to Angela. As I was walking out, my toe caught the lip of the door and I stumbled, getting ready to fall and hit my head once again.

But Edward was there, always so much faster than me, and grabbed my arm to keep m sturdy. I gave myself a moment to try and quell my anger before looking to him and giving a curt, "thank you". His eyes narrowed, appreciated the acknowledgement but insulted by what I had said earlier.

"You're welcome." He retorted. I straightened up and turned away from him, walking by myself to Gym.

Gym was brutal. We had moved to basketball, which my team refused to pass to me, and I found that the other team really utilized my lack of balance by somehow making me fall down. Sometimes I even took people with me. Today was worse because my head was so filled with Edward Cullen – and matching paraphernalia – that I couldn't concentrate on my feet.

It was a relief, as always, to leave. I almost ran to the truck; there were so many things I wanted to avoid – such as humanity as a whole. That took a lot of practice that I was well versed in. The truck had suffered only minimal damage in the accident. I had to replace the tail lights, but was lucky I hadn't had the chance to paint it yet or else I would have had to touch it up. Tyler's parents had to sell the van for parts. Better than my Dad selling _me _for parts. Eyes here, liver there, kidneys everywhere...

I almost had a stroke when I saw a tall, dark figure leaning against my truck. With closer examination I saw that it as Eric and wondered briefly what the best way would be to shoo him from my door.

"Hey, Eric." I smiled, hoping he would get the hint as I stood close, hovering around the drivers side.

"Hey, Liv."

"What's up?" I said, going to unlock the door. He still didn't move. I looked up at him with suspicious eyes only to see how uncomfortable and guarded he looked. No way, this couldn't be happening...

"Uh, I was just wondernig...if you would go to the spring dance with me?" His voice broke the last word, it broke my resolve for pure bitchiness.

"Funny, I thought it was girls' choice?" I muttered, getting out my keys and not being subtle about shoving them in to unlock the door. He shuffled a bit to the side, but did not move.

"Well, yeah," he admitted. I recovered my composure completely, feeling bad for the way I was blatantly being rude. It was not in my nature. I tried to smile as warmly as I culd.

"Thank you for asking me, but I'm going to be in Seattle that day."

"Oh," he mumbled. "Well, maybe next time."

"Yeah sure," I agreed but immediately held my breath. Oh, I hope he didn't take that too literally...

He was back to school before I could take it back, and I kicked my tire – carefully – before I heard a chuckle. Edward was walking past the front of my truck, looking straight forward, his lips pressed together. I yanked the door open and jumped inside, slamming it loudly behind me. I wondered if I was fast enough to hit him – it was a fleeting thought as I remembered how he had saved my life. So one, I shouldn't, it wouldn't be diplomatic; and two, I probably wouldn't cause any damage to anyone other than myself.

I rev the engine and reversed out into the lot. Edward was in his car already, two spaces down, sliding out smoothly in front of me – just in time to cut me off. He stopped there, to wait for his faily. I could see the four of them walking this way, but still by the cafeteria.

"What the hell?" I shouted, glad he couldn't hear me while I was inside the cab. "You just _have _to ruin the _entire _day, don't you? Biology isn't enough? How inconsiderate – what – what are you thinking?" I briefly considered taking out the rear end of his stupid, shiny car – I hate Volvo's – but realized there were too many witnesses. Wreckless endangerment: that's what my own father would have to charge me with. That and attempted homicide.

Or maybe not-so attempted.

There was a line beginning to form, I realized as I looked out my rearview mirror. Directly behind me, Tyler Crowley was in his recently acquired used Sentra, waving at me, but I was too annoyed to wave back. I was tapping on my wheel, glaring down at the shiny, silver vehicle, wondering how long it would take to get a mechanic to make this into a Monster Truck, just so I could crush his stupid car.

While I contemplated all the scenarios of making my truck into the next Gravedigger, I heard a knock on my passenger side window. I looked over and was shocked to see that it was Tyler. I glanced back into my rearview to see that he had left his car running – the door open. I rolled down the window half way, which was as far as it would go without me muscling it.

"Sorry, Tyler, I'm stuck behind whoever this jerk is." I was annoyed – obviously this wasn't my fault.

"Oh, I know – I just wanted to ask you something while were trapped here." He grinned at me and I bit back a curse. This is impossible!

"Will you ask me to the spring dance?" He asked me, showing of a rather charming smile. But I was not fooled, nor was I patient enough.

"I'm not in town." I said sharply. I tried to remember it wasn't his fault that he was the third person to ask me, so he hadn't been the one to eat up all my patience.

"Yeah, Mike said that," my anger flared.

"Then why-"

"I was hoping you were letting him down easy." He said, bowing his head. Okay. I lied. He deserved my wrath.

"I really am going out of town. Now I am getting cold, so I'm going to have to ask you to go so I can roll up my window."

"That's cool. We still have prom." Before I could respond, he was walking back to his car. I could feel the shock on my face. No way. _No way_! I looked forward to see Alice, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper all sliding into the Volvo. In his rearview mirror, Edward's eyes were on me. He was most definitely shaking with laughter as if he had heard every word between Tyler and I. My foot itched twards the gas petal as I tightened my grip on the wheel. I revved my engine, completely ready to take the fall for at least ruining that silver complexion of his bumper.

But they were all in by then and Edward was speeding away. I drove home slowy, angrily, mumbling to myself the entire journey. By the time I did get home, I decided to make chicken curry. It wasn't a hard process, but it was a long one and it would keep me busy.

The phone rang – I let it ring three times, too afraid of any male voice – before I went ot answer it in case it was for Charlie, or it was someone important. It ended up being a rather jubilant Jessica, who had called me to tell me Mike had said yes to her invitation. I celebrated with her briefly while I stirred the rice I was making. She had to go – she needed to call other people to tell them, but I was first on the list. It was kind of nice, had I not been suspicious it was because she wanted to rub it in my face. I suggested that Angela could ask Eric to go and Lauren could ask Tyler. It would tie up my lose ends and I know that Angela would need some pushing to ask anyone anyway. Jess agreed and told me she would tell them. Now that she had Mike all tied up in the bag, she even sounded sincere when she said she wished I could go to the dance with them. I sighed and gave her my Seattle excuse.

After I hung up, I tried to concentrate on dinner – dicing the chicken especially. Hospital trips were my MO but I didn't want to make another one so soon.

I really did want to go to the dance – I may not have been as much of a shopper as some, but I could never deny that I loved looking for dresses and getting dolled up. I especially loved shoes. My favourite part of the dance was not necessarily the dress, the shoes, or the partner, but the actual dancing itself.

I tried to tell myself that it would be too painful a memory of home, even if Arie, Asher, and Ty were all insisting that I go. There would be no point, it would just be painful. I didn't want to look like a fool dancing on my own because I would turn away any suitor that was not Edward Cullen...

His name made my head spin. I tried to understand everything that he had said to me today, what did it all mean? Why was it better if we are not friends?

Surely it didn't mean he noticed how absorbed I was by hi; he must not want to lead me on. He must be trying to sever the cord. Oh God, it made perfect sense! He wasn't interested in me at all and that's why we couldn't be friends, just because he didn't want me to think there was a chance that anything could happen.

My eyes started to sting – most _definitely _from the Onions I had cut two minutes before. I wasn't _interesting_, which is why he wasn't interested in me. And I was interested in him because he _was._ He was interest and brilliant and mysterious and perfect and beautiful and possibly able to lift full sized vehicles with one hand.

But that didn't make me his Lois Lane. No, this was no suffering in silence thing that he was trying to do – because Clark Kent liked Lois too. Edward from Biology didn't flirt with me. Not even super-van-lifting Edward.

I would just have to learn to leave him alone. And that was fine. I could do that. I would get through my self-imposed sentence here in purgatory and then hopefully some school in the southwest, like Hawaii, would offer me a scholarship. Even if it was just to be a hoola girl, I would take it. I focused my thoughts on sunny beaches and palm trees as I began to finish the curry.

Charlie was worried when I told him we were having Indian food, he was not one for spice as I had found out after making him steak that was nearly too spicey for him to eat. I had made sure that it wasn't too bad just because I remembered this though and he seemed to like it. It was fun to watch him slowly begin trusting me in the kitchen.

"Dad?" I asked when he was almost done.

"Yeah, Viv?"

"Um, I was just going to et you know that I'm off to Seattle for the day a week from Saturday. As long as that's okay with you?" I didn't want to ask permission, it set a bad precedent, but felt rude not to. So I slopped it on the end of my statement.

"Why?" He sounded surprisd. Did he really think that Forks had everything to offer?

"I wanted to get some new books – the library here doesn't have them. And maybe even look at some clothes." Thanks to Charlie purchasing me a car, I now had more money than I knew what to do with. It would be nice to be able to go shopping, even though in the end I knew I wouldn't come home with any clothes. I was far too judgemental of my body for that. He knew it too.

"That truck probably doesn't get very good gas mileage." He informed. I sighed, it had to be true. But it was something I was willing to put up with to avoid the pain of that dance.

"I can stop in Montesano and Olympia, maybe even Tacoma if I have to."

"Are you going all by yourself?" He asked and I couldn't tell if he was suspicious over a possible secret love affair I was brewing behind his back, or if he was worried about car trouble.

"Yup."

"Seattle is a big city – you could get lost." He muttered.

"Dad, Seattle is five times smaller than Phoenix. I will be able to find my way around."

"Do you want me to come with you?" I tried to hide my horror and was sly about my answer.

"Do you want to be bored in dressing rooms all day? I'll be fine."

"Oh, okay. You'll just have to be careful." The thought of sitting in women's clothing stores for any period of time immediately put him off. My plan was luckily foolproof.

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

"Will you be back in time for the dance?" Damnit! Only in a town this small would a father actually know when the school dance was.

"No – not interested. Arie has not deemed any of these men acceptable dance-dates."

He snorted, remembering Arie in all her glory. "Oh, that's right. Approval."

The next morning when I pulled inside the school parking lot, I deliberately parked as far away from the silver Volvo as I could manage. I didn't want to put myself in the path of destruction that I was far too tempted to commit and end up owing him a new car with all the money I had saved and then some. Then I would certainly have no reason to go miss the dance.

Getting out of the cab, I fumbled with my key and it fell into a puddle right at my feet. As I bent to get it, a white hand flashed out and got to it irst. I jerked upright to see Edward Cullen next to me, leaning casually against my truck. He held the keys out tauntingly.

"How do you _do _that?" I asked in irritation.

"Do what?" He asked, dropping the key in my hand.

"Appear out of nowhere."

"Vivienne, it's not my fault that you are exceptionally unobservant." His voice was quiet as usual, velvet and honey, but muted. I scowled at his beauty, noticing that his eyes were again much lighter today, that deep, golden honey colour to match his voice.

"Why the traffic jam last night?" I muttered darkly. "I thought you were determined to ignore me out of existence, not trying to get under my skin."

"That was for Tyler's sake, not mine. I had to give him his chance." Again, I turned into a fish-face.

"You!" I couldn't think of anything bad enough to call him at this moment and I didn't want to revert back to French because he seemed to understand at least some of it. He only seemed amused.

"And I am not pretending that you do not exist." He continued.

"So you _are _trying to irritate me to death. Tyler's van wasn't a good enough cause of death?" Anger flashed in his golden eyes. His lips pressed into a hard line, all the humour seemed to be gone from his very being.

"Liv, you are utterly absurd." His voice was back to it's startling cold, the cold that shouldn't have been so startling since I heard it, but it never ceased to surprise me. I started to turn my back when I felt the urge to slap him, this was a trait that I had inherited from my friends, not one I had been born with. As I was walking away he called out to me and easily kept pace.

"I'm sorry, that was rude." He said as he walked. I ignored him. "I'm not saying it isn't true, but it was rude to say it anyway."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" I grumbled.

"I wanted to ask you something, but you sidetracked me," he chuckled. He seemed to have recovered his good humor.

"Do you have multiple personality disorder? My aunt said-"

"You're doing it again." I sighed and stopped, looking at him as I tapped my foot impatiently.

"Fine then. What is you wished to ask me, Edward?" the formality of it made him smie.

"I was wondering if, a week from Saturday – you know, the day of the spring dance – " my heart sputtered in my chest. It was like all I had wanted for the past two months was currently being presented to me. I glared at him, not taking the bait.

"Are you trying to be _funny_?" I interrupted. The rain fell on my face and I wondered how people wore makeup in weather like this. I was getting drenched as I looked up at his expression, which seemed wickedly amused.

"Will you please allow me to finish?"

I bit my lip and crossed my arms, waiting once again.

"I heard you saying that you were headed to Seattle that day, and I was wondering if you wanted a ride." My lip bounced out of my mouth as the fishy-face returned. That was quite unexpected.

"What?"

"Do you want a ride to Seattle?"

"With...who?" I asked, wondering where the cameras were, or if not, what the catch was.

"Myself, obviously." He ennunciated every syllable, as if he were talking to someone mentally handicapped. I was still stunned.

"Why?"

"Well I was planning on going to Seattle in the next few weeks, and to be honest, I'm not sure your truck can make it."

"My truck runs wonderfully, thank you very much." I started back on walking towards building six, but not out of anger, more out of shock. Was I really running away from the best offer I'd ever been given?

"But can your truck make it on one tank of gas?" He asked, matching my pace once again. I snorted.

"Is this a Volvo advert? I really don't think that's any of your business." Stupid, shiny Volvo owner.

"The wasting of finite resources is everyone's business." I let a laugh slip out and stopped walking, watching him. He seemed very pleased with himself that he had made me laugh and possibly was more pleased that I had again stopped to talk to him without him so much as asking me to.

"Honestly, Edward." I liked his name even more when I said it. Like mine, nicknames rarely would work with it because it was such a classic name. Nothing but Edward would work for him. "I can't keep up with you. I thought you didn't want to be my friend."

"I said it would be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want to be." A heat exploded at the same time my chest compressed. That was not I needed to hear if I wanted to keep my wits about me. I was going to ask if he _did _want to be friends or not, but realized that I wwasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"Oh, thanks, now that _that _is all cleared up-" my voice was so sarcastic he probably could have bathed in it, but I realized that I was probably going to be late for class if I waited too long. I looked from him to my building. This may be one of the only times he would be nice to me – I didn't want to pass up the opportunity. But I didn't need any more attention as to why I'm not in class. I could hear the worry now. '_Did she get hit by a car, again?_'

"It would be more..._prudent_ for you not to be my friend," he explained. "But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Vivienne." His eyes were gloriously intense again as he uttered the last sentence, his voice was smoldering. It took me a moment or seven to remember how to breathe.

"Will you go with me to Seattle?" he asked, still intense. And since I couldn't speak, I nodded. How could I say no?

He smiled briefly and nodded his own head, like he was relishing the moment before his face became deadly serious once again.

"You really shouldn't be friends with me, Liv." And like that, he walked away from me – making me only want him to come back more than before.

What a twisted game.

**Alright, so the date has been set! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and now are seeing the character I'm laying out. Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians who celebrated it, hope you all had enough Turkey to fill your bellies thrice over! ****Please review****!**

**-Egypt**


	6. Blood Typing

**For the record, readers, there are many 'fat' references in this. I do **_**not **_**believe that 145 lbs is overweight. I myself am a healthy 150 and I **_**know **_**I am not overweight. But I'm just getting into her mentality. I realized how it may sound insulting as I was editing.**

**Anyway, now that that is out of the way, **Sickening** is updated, too. Hope you enjoy both - please start reviewing, guys. The ratio from people who read to people who give feedback is...depressing. Thank you to **frickandfrack09 **who has reviewed.**

**Stephenie Meyer owns everyone except Vivienne and the characters in her life you do not recognize. Please, oh please, don't sue me creator of my Universe!**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter Five – Blood Type

I went through the door to English in a daze. I hadn't listened or tried to make as stealthy an entrance as I should have done because class had already started.

"Thank you for joining us, Miss Swan," Mr. Mason said with annoyance coating his words. I felt my face heat up as I hurried toward my seat near the back. It took me a long time to realize that Mike wasn't in his regular seat at my side; but at the end of class he and Eric had both loyally waited to walk to me to my next class – so I figured I wouldn't be treated like a leper. Mike seemed to become more like himself the more we walked, gaining enthusiasm as he talked about the weather this weekend. Apparently the rain was going to take a break and we would be able to have a clear beach trip. It wasn't as hard to sound eager, remembering that was where my mother grew. It was still depressing though, only because I knew what a _real _beach was.

The rest of the morning was a blur. It was difficult to believe that I hadn't just imaged what Edward had said, and the way his eyes had looked. Maybe it was just the way his eyes had been – so intense and serious. Maybe it was just a very convincing dream that I had confused with reality – that one seemed more likely than the idea that I actually appealed to him in any way, shape, or form.

So I was impatient and frightened as Jessica and I entered the cafeteria. I wanted to see his face, to see if he had gone back to the cold, emotionless guy I'd known for the last few weeks, just to see if I had been woken up yet. And if he wasn't, I would be sure to ask him to pinch me.

Jessica babbled on and on about her dance plans – Lauren and Angela had asked the other boys and now they were all going together, completely unaware that it was part of a more selfish master plan. Well, maybe not selfish, but definitely self-avoidant.

Disappointment flooded through me when I saw that he was not at his regular table. His siblings were all there, but he was nowhere in sight. Had he gone home? I followed the still-babbling Jessica through the line, grabbing my only comfort foods. I grabbed an apple-juice, my comfort drink, and a bag of two bite brownies. Ah yes. This is why I'm busting the scale. My plans were to sit and sulk, cradling the juice like my first born child that Rumplestiltskin was about to rip away from my cold, weak fingers and hopefully I would –

"Edward Cullen is staring at you again," Jessica sang, finally breaking through my degrading thoughts. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today."

My head snapped up and around, looking for him. It took me a moment to play it smart and actually follow her eyes to see him sitting at an otherwise empty table across the cafeteria from where he normally sat with his siblings. Once he had caught my eye, he raised one hand and motioned with his index finger for me to join him.

I looked around to see who he could possibly be referring to. When I caught his eyes again he merely nodded...and winked. Cue fishy face.

"I don't think I can breathe." I stated dumbly.

"Does he mean _you_?" Jessica asked, ignoring my statement. The level of shock in her voice was almost insulting, but I was far too distracted to care what she thought right now.

"He must need my help with Biology." I muttered for her benefit. "I-uh, I'm just going to go see what he wants. Talk to you later, Jess." I could feel her staring after me as I walked away.

When I reached his table, I stood behind the chair across from him, very unsure of myself. I narrowed my eyes despite this uncertainty. "Yes?" I tried not to sound rude, but at the same time it was between rude or a strange, girlish waver in my voice. I chose to sound rude.

"Why don't you sit with me today?" he asked, smiling at my tone. I sat automatically. He still smiled. I was in the twilight zone. How could someone so beautiful be real? I was afraid that he might disappear in a sudden puff of smoke, and I would wake up.

He seemed to be waiting for me to say something.

"Pinch me." I ordered, sliding my arm across the table to land in front of him. He chuckled, completely amused.

"And why would you want me to do that?"

"I made a bet with myself. I want to see which part of me won." He chuckled and raised an eyebrow, trying to understand what I meant by the statement.

"Right brain versus Left brain?"

"Logic versus Fantasy." I corrected. His hand pinched my arm, right on the top of my forearm, which happened to be bare. I shivered as the electricity struck again. He pulled back when it was done, putting his hand firmly under the table.

"Which won?" He asked lightly.

"That answer would be incriminating myself, leading me to plead the fifth." I smiled back. "Why the change of seating plan?"

"Well," he paused. "I decided as long as I was going to Hell, I might as well do it thoroughly." I waited for him to elaborate so what he had just said would make sense. He did no such thing.

"You lost me." I admitted, feeling my ears burn a bit. He must really think that I'm a moron.

"I know." He smiled again. "I think your friends are angry with me for stealing you."

"They'll survive." I had been feeling their stares on my back the entire time – I could feel everyone's stares, the entire cafeteria – but I couldn't bring myself to care. I was sitting with Edward Cullen. It was literally like I was fulfilling my dreams.

"I may not give you back, though," he said with a wicked glint in his eyes. I swallowed thickly, not sure how bad the idea actually sounded. "You look worried," he laughed.

"No," I said, my voice breaking. "Surprised is probably a better definition...what brought this on?"

"I told you," he began, taking much more emphasis and care to each syllable. "I got tired of trying to stay away from you. So I'm giving up." He was still smiling, but his eyes had turned back to their more serious state. I narrowed my eyes in confusion.

"Giving up?"

"Yes – giving up trying to be good. I'm just going to do what I want now," he looked away from me, a smile no longer adorning his face, "and let the pieces fall where they may."

"_A_nd you lost me."

The beautiful and breathtaking smile reappeared. "I always say too much when I'm talking to you – that's one of the problems."

"Don't worry – I tend not to understand any of it." I mumbled wryly.

"I'm counting on that." I huffed, annoyed with his blatant lack of care for my feelings.

"So, in English-"

"French, if you prefer?" He taunted. I glared at him.

"So, in _English_, are we friends now?"

"Friends..." he mused, tasting the words to see how it sounded. I waited and watched his pensive pout turn into a grin. "Well, we can try, I suppose. But I'm warning you now that I'm not a good friend for you." Behind his angel face, his eyes were serious and his warning was real. It was the first time I actually thought to heed it – but that didn't last long.

"You say that a lot," I mused myself, probably mimicking a pensiveness very similar to his own.

"Yes, because you're not listening to me. I'm still waiting for you to believe it. If you're smart, you'll avoid me."

"I think you've made your opinion on the subject of my intellect all too clear." I grumbled, annoyed with the jab, yet again. He smiled apologetically.

"So, as long as I'm being...not smart, we'll try and be friends?" I summed up, trying not to sound too hopeful. The exchange was confusing me, but I was not yet put off.

"That sounds about right."

I looked down at my apple juice, wondering what I had needed it for. I did only buy it when I was upset and yet I was on cloud nine. I watched it, trying to remember what had upset me so much as to buy my version of alcohol, when he cocked his head in intrigue.

"What are you thinking?" he asked curiously.

I looked up into his deep, gold eyes and became befuddled. As if he was dazzling me with his beauty. The first thing that came to mind was not what should have been said and yet it was all I could think of forming words around:

"I'm trying to figure out what you are."

His jaw tightened, but he kept his smile in place with some effort. "Are you having any luck with that?" He asked with a grind. I felt my ears burn.

"Do I ever have any luck?" He chuckled.

"What are your theories?"

"Nuh-uh." I said immediately. I had been jumping between many theories during the past month, anything between Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker, Clark Kent or maybe even Chuck Norris. There were no answers. "Way too embarrassing."

"That's _really _frustrating, you know." He complained with a frown. I raised an eyebrow.

"Is it?" I asked, sarcasm dripping. "I can't imagine why it would be. Just because someone refuses to tell you what they're thinking, even if all the while they're making cryptic remarks specifically said to keep you up at night wondering what they could possibly mean in the grand scheme of a now budding friendship...now, why would that be frustrating?"

He grimaced.

"Or better," I continued relentlessly, "say that person also did a wide range of paranormal things – from saving your life ignoring incomprehensible obstacles one day, to treating you like a pariah the next. Which, he refuses to even speak of – after he gave his _word_. That, also, would be _extremely _and unbearably frustrating, wouldn't it?"

"You've got a bit of a temper, don't you?"

"When it's deserved." We stared at each other, unsmiling, neither of us knowing how to continue – with hostility or with grace. He glanced over my shoulder and unexpectedly, he snickered.

"What?" I asked, all anger gone. There goes that temper he had just actually seemed intimidated by.

"Your boyfriend seems to think I'm being unpleasant to you – he's debating whether or not to come break up our fight." He snickered again. I stuck my weak chin out, looking up towards the ceiling in annoyance.

"I don't know to whom you refer." I said frostily. "But I'm certain you are wrong."

"I'm not." He smiled, making me look at him. He had obviously heard the blatant lie in my voice. "I told you, most people are easy to read."

"Except for me." I elaborated, remembering his words and frustration. His smile widened.

"Yes. Except for you." He looked where I had currently been looking as he started to withdraw back into that mind of his. "I wonder why that is..."

I had to look away from the intensity of his eyes when they fixed back on me in confusion. Who knew what he was thinking at this point, but I was beginning to get unnerved by the probe. I screwed off he cap of my apple juice – my sign of panic – and I took a large gulp.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, looking at my bag of brownies. I tried not to blush - I didn't want to show him how I could devour them in one sitting.

"No. Aren't you?" I looked at the empty table in front of him.

"No, I'm not hungry." I didn't understand his expression – something amused him, some private joke I didn't know. He had a few of those, it seemed. Now that I think about it, he smiled a lot. He laughed a lot...more so at me than in my direction, but I liked it anyway. It was beautiful and oddly comforting. It made me know that today was a day he wouldn't hate me.

"Can you do me a favour?" I blurted before I could stop myself. He was immediately wary.

"That depends on what you want."

"It's not much..." I assured him, going back to unscrewing my apple juice, but I did not drink it. Not yet, for I wasn't upset with his answer yet, only preparing myself for the scolding glance I was about to receive. He just waited curiously, and rigidly.

"I just wondered if next time you decide to ignore me for my own good you may go about the three step process of warning me first. You know, so I'm prepared." I looked at my apple juice as I spoke, tracing the circle of the opening with my index.

"That sounds fair." When I looked up, he was pressing his lips together to stop himself from laughing. I began to screw the cap to my apple juice back on.

"Thanks." I muttered, making sure all my attention was on the cap so it would be harder for him to see my burning cheeks.

"Then can I have one answer in return?" I looked up at him, faltering in my movement. My mind reeled with what he could ask and yet, my head nodded.

"Tell me _one _theory."

"Nope. You have dialled an incorrect number; please try your call again."

"You didn't specify, you just promised one answer." I bit my lip, beginning to unscrew the cap as I felt my resolve crumble.

"You have broken promises yourself, remember." I reminded.

"Just one theory – I won't laugh."

"Yes, you will." How couldn't he? Everything I had come up with were shows I watched as a child, books I was read, comics that were made into video games and billion dollar budgeted movies. He looked down and then glanced up through his thick black lashes, his ochre eyes scorching my resolve.

"Please?" He breathed, leaning toward me. I blinked as my mind went blank. Mon Dieu, how does that happen? I had to shake my head, and I think I may have asked "what" out of my confusion.

"Please just tell me one little theory." His eyes were still smothering my will to fight back. He was a hypnotist and I felt my head bow down as I began my interrogation.

"Well, you weren't bitten by a radioactive spider, I would assume?" I hoped he had made this into an art and I wasn't just another pushover. I hoped that I was at least showing some will power against him in comparison to most. But I wasn't feeling very confident.

"That's not very creative." He scoffed. I sniffed.

"I'm sorry. That's all I'm offering."

"You're not even _close_." He teased. I bit my lip.

"So, no spiders then?"

"Nope."

"And no radioactivity?"

"None."

"Dang," I sighed, knowing they had all been stupid guesses anyway.

"Kryptonite doesn't bother me, either," he chuckled. I was glad he had marked that off the list for me without me having to ask later.

"You promised you wouldn't laugh!" I hissed. He struggled to bite his lips, but his eyes were dancing. "I'm going to figure it out eventually, Edward Cullen, don't you think otherwise."

"I wish you wouldn't try." He admitted, but his tone was once again a formal warning. I shifted between my feet.

"Because?" I asked expectantly. He took a deep breath, briefly looking out the window for inspiration. I felt almost bad for him, having this much difficulty and having to keep such a secret that I couldn't even identify with.

"What if I'm not the hero?" He asked softly. His eyes stung back into me. "What if I'm the bad guy?"

"Oh," I said, as several of his hints shuffled into their proper places. "I see."

"Do you?" He asked, his voice quiet but his face guarded and severe. He was afraid he had said too much, he was also afraid I would run away. I nodded slowly.

"You're dangerous." It wasn't so much a guess as something that needed verification. My pulse quickened instinctively as I realized the truth of what I had just said. He _was _dangerous. That's what he had been trying to tell me all along. I examined him for a long time and he did nothing but stare back at me, letting my mind go through its processes at whatever speed it deemed fit. When I spoke, my voice was loud within the silence of our conversation.

"But not bad," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, you may not be the good guy and you may have been taught to be a bad guy, but I'm willing to bet you're the cursed hero."

"You're wrong." His voice was strong and yet nearly inaudible. He looked down, stealing my bottle lid and spinning it on his side between his fingers. I stared at the angel, wondering why I couldn't be afraid of him. I could tell that he meant everything he was saying, that was very clear by how upset he was. But I just felt anxious – anxious that I was so close to him after all these weeks of being even closer and getting nothing for a response. I was fascinated. And, as much as I hated to admit it, I was smitten.

The silence lasted until I noticed that the cafeteria was almost empty. I grabbed my bag and slung it quickly over my shoulder. "We're going to be late."

"I'm not going to class today." He said, twirling the lid so fast that it was a blur. I watched it for a moment, mesmerized before I shook my head to get my thoughts straight.

"Why not?"

"It's healthy to ditch class now and then." He smiled, but his eyes seemed somewhat troubled. I bit my lip looking behind me as the last students started to grab their things.

"Well...I'm going to go..." I said slowly, I was far too big a coward to risk getting caught.

"I will see you later, then." He smiled, turning his attention quickly to his new toy. I hesitated, torn, but then the first bell sent me hurrying out the door – with a last glance behind me to confirm he hadn't moved so much as a centimetre from where I had left him.

Questions were flying through my mind six times faster than the speed I was half running – only because I can't _actually _run, with my klutziness – to Biology. I was lucky that Mr. Banner was just entering the room as I was and I squeezed past him, impressed with my ability to get there somewhat on time. Mike and Angela were both staring at me, the familiar fish-face had opened their mouths and there was a moment where I realized why Edward must laugh at me so often. I looked down, not liking the look of resentment in Mike's eyes and embarrassed by the look of awe in Angela's own.

Mr. Banner settled the class down and juggled a few small cardboard boxes in his arms that would soon have fallen, had Angela not gone to his aid. He put them down more gently thanks to her guiding hand and as he started to speak, began handing them out to everyone.

"Okay, guys, I want you all to take one piece from each box," he said as he produced a pair of rubber gloves from the pocket of his lab jacket and pulled them on. The sharp sound as the gloves snapped into place against his wrists were particularly ominous to me. I felt my stomach clench as my hands gripped the blacktop. Edward won, Edward won, Edward won the health battle... "The first should be an indicator card," he went on, grabbing a white card with four squares marked on it and displaying it. "The second is a four-pronged applicator – " he held up something that looked like a nearly toothless hair pick for us to examine, "-and the third is a sterile micro-lancet." He held up a small piece of blue plastic and split it open. The barb was almost invisible from this distance, but my stomach flipped.

Oh my God, _no_...

"I'll be coming around with a dropper of water to prepare your cards, so please don't start until I get to you." He began at Mike's table again, carefully putting one drop of water in each of the four squares. "Then I want you to carefully prick your finger with the lancet..." He basically plunged the spike into the tip of Mike's middle finger and he let out a yelp to which I jumped about two feet out of my seat. Oh no, I thought as my hands got clammy. My stomach felt like it was running a triathlon.

"Put a small drop of blood on each of the prongs." He demonstrated, squeezing Mike's finger until the blood flowed, I tried to watch attentively, but my whole body was reacting without my orders to do so.

"Then apply it to the card." He finished holding the dripping red card for us to see. I looked at it carefully, not actually affected by the _sight _of it and now that those horrible tools were away, I was able to think more clearly. Would I be able to survive this class at all? But then it hit me like a freight train as Mr. Banner shoved the frame in my face to examine.

The _smell._

If there was anything in the world that smelt like death, it would clearly have to be the smell of blood. It brought back so many memories of hospital trips and accidents that I didn't want to remember. I was that type of girl who couldn't eat meat any less than well done and most of the time I liked it a little burnt, just to make sure I wouldn't have to be near blood. And to taste it or smell it was the worst just because I knew _exactly _what it meant – something was dead or suffering. There were no ifs ands or buts to it. Something was suffering badly. When I had my 'lady time' as my Mother called it, I had DMS – it's like PMS but actually _during _your period – just because I was so freaked out of my own body.

And _needles!_

As Mr. Banner began to hand out the water drops, I pressed my cheek against the cool, black table top and tried to calm my stomach. All around me I could hear squeals and giggles and complaints as my classmates skewered their fingers, but all I could smell was the blood and when I opened my eyes, all I could see was my lab kit with the needle _right _inside of it.

"Vivienne, are you alright?" Mr. Banner asked. His voice was close to my head and when I cracked open my eye, I saw that his had lowered himself to my level, probably for inspection over how real my illness was.

"I know my blood type." Was the only thing I could bear to say out loud. I closed my mouth – here comes the nausea. Thanks for making me talk and then _breathe _in the smell.

"Are you feeling faint?" Sure, faint was one word for it. Like I was about to die would be a better term. Oh God, I should have just stayed with Edward! I closed my eyes and nodded, it was the best I could do because I was not about to open my mouth to talk and therefore breathe again.

"Can someone take Vivienne to the nurse, please?" He called out, I knew without opening my eyes that Mike would be the only, if not the first, volunteer.

"Can you walk?" Mr. Banner was down to my level again. I nodded, I just needed to get out of here, if I had to skip to the Wizard of Oz theme song, and I would have done it.

Mike seemed eager as he put an arm around my waist and pulled my arm over his shoulder. I leaned against him heavily on the way out of the classroom. He was gentle and understood that I needed to move slowly across the campus – which was highly appreciated. I liked that it wasn't raining for once. It had very generous timing. When we were out of sight to the biology class and its window, I stopped.

"Can I please just...just give me a minute." I whispered. I sat on the edge of the walkway, bringing my knees to my chest and cradling my stomach with them. He reached forward to help me but I turned my head away from him.

"Keep your hand in your pocket!" I hissed. I was still so dizzy – it was almost impossible for this all to be in my head. I had to be feeling the earth's gravitational pull and how it was revolving and it all must be going faster than normal. I put my cheek back against the freezing sidewalk and breathed out as I closed my eyes. It was comforting.

"Wow, you're green, Liv." Mike noted. I groaned.

"Vivienne?" a different, more panicked voice, called from a distance. I squeezed my eyes shut more firmly. I want this to be a nightmare. I did not want _him _to see me like this.

"What's wrong – is she hurt?" His voice was closer now and he sounded upset. I wasn't imagining it. I squeezed my eyes tighter, hoping somehow I would die from it. That, or be able to control the acrobatics my stomach was doing.

Mike seemed stressed. "I think she fainted. I don't know what happened; she didn't even stick her finger."

"Vivienne." Edward's voice was right beside me, sounding very relieved. "Can you hear me?"

"No." I grumbled. "Go away." He chuckled.

"I was taking her to the nurse," Mike told in a defensive tone. "She wouldn't go any farther."

"I'll take her," Edward said. I could hear the smile still in his voice. "You can go back to class."

"No," Mike protested with insult. "I'm supposed to do it."

And then the sidewalk was gone. My eyes flew open in shock. Edward had scooped me up in his arms, like I weighed ten pounds instead of one hundred and forty-five. Ugh - I had not lost enough weight for this!

"Put me down!" I ordered, hoping he both would and would not hear the weakness in my voice. I didn't want to vomit on him – please don't let me vomit on him.

"Hey!" Mike called already ten paces behind us. Edward simply ignored him

"You look awful," Edward grinned at me.

"Leave me on the sidewalk to die," I moaned. The rocking movement was not helping – though it was distracting me a bit, which was nice. He held me away from his body, supporting all my weight with just his arms, it didn't faze him. His hands were carefully crawling up and touched the skin at the back of my neck, through the electricity that shocked through me, the coolness was calming. I – for lack of better term – snuggled into his hand.

"So you faint at the sight of blood?" He asked. This seemed to entertain him. I didn't answer but focused on his cold hand against my head, trying to somehow get that sensation down to my stomach. Usually they were so connected with him!

"And not even your own blood," he continued, enjoying himself. I groaned angrily.

I don't know how he opened the door while carrying me, but it was suddenly warm so I knew we had made it inside.

"Oh my," a female voice gasped. I did not move.

"She fainted in biology." Edward explained. I opened my eyes. I was in the office; Edward was striding past the front counter towards the nurse's door. Ms. Cope, the redheaded front office receptionist, ran ahead of him to hold it open. The grandmotherly nurse looked up from a Harlequin romance, astonished, as Edward swung me into the room and placed me – with surprising gentleness – on the crackly paper of the hospital cot. He moved to the wall as far away from me in the narrow room as he could. His eyes were bright...was that jerk actually excited? I glared.

"She's just a little faint," he reassured. "They're blood typing in biology."

The nurse sighed. "There's always one." He muffled a snicker.

"Just lay down here a minute, honey; it'll pass."

"I know." I sighed. The nausea was already fading.

"Does this happen a lot?" she asked. I had found the strength to shrug.

"Sometimes." Edward coughed to the side and when I looked it was to discover he was stifling another laugh. This got the nurses attention.

"You can go back to class now," she told him.

"I'm supposed to stay with her." The confidence in the simple statement seemed to be enough for her, because she didn't argue or bring up the idea of him leaving again.

"I'll go get you some ice for your forehead, dear," she said to me and bustled out o the room.

"You win." I moaned. "You were right."

"I usually am – but about what in particular, this time?"

"Ditching _is _healthy." I practiced breathing.

"You scared me for a minute there," he admitted after a pause. His tone made it sound like he was confessing to a very embarrassing rumour. "I thought Newton was dragging your dead body off to bury it in the woods."

"Ha ha." My eyes were still closed, but I felt more myself each minute. The sarcasm had already kicked in; it was a sure sign of my recovery.

"Honestly – I've seen corpses with better colour. I as concerned that I might have to avenge your murder."

"You see corpses that often?" I mumbled. "Poor Mike. He must be furious."

"He absolutely loathes me," Edward said cheerfully. I peeked through my lashes to check if I was right – I was. I shook my head slightly as my eyes closed.

"You can't know that."

"I saw his face – I could tell." Speaking of what he could see, how had he known where I was?

"Where were you that you saw me? I thought you were ditching." I was almost back to myself, though the queasiness would pass faster had I eaten lunch, but then again, maybe it was my stomach being empty that saved Edward's designer clothes.

"I was in my car, listening to a CD." Such a normal response. I heard the door open and looked through my lashes again to see the nurse with a cold compress. I started to sit up.

"Here you go, dear. You're already looking better." She smiled as she put it across my forehead.

"I think I'm fine." I sat up straight, the dizziness almost completely gone. The walls were staying where they should but I was still slightly light headed. I would survive. I could see that she was about to make me lie back down and I was as ready to put up a fight before Ms. Cope stuck her head in.

"We've got another one," she warned. I took the opportunity and slid off of the cot for the waiting invalid. I handed her the compress.

"Here, I don't need this, thank you very much." As I was saying it, Mike staggered through the door, now supporting a sallow-looking Lee Stephens, another boy in our class. Edward and I curled into the wall so that they could have room.

"Oh no," Edward muttered. "Get out of the office, Liv." I looked at him in bewilderment. "Trust me and go." I spun and caught the door before it closed, darting out of the nurse's station. I could feel Edward come right behind me and was all too aware as he put the hand on the small of my back to lead me out.

"You actually listened to me." I almost laughed sarcastically until I saw that the surprise was genuine.

"I smelled the blood." I told, looking down to my stomach as if warning it not to do anything cruel. Lee hadn't gotten sick from watching other people like I had – he had tried and failed.

"People can't smell blood," he contradicted.

"I can." I muttered pointedly. "The needles freak me out but it's the smell that makes me sick. It smells like rust and salt and...Essence."

"Essence?" He muttered back, looking at me with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah. Like how everyone smells different – their body chemistry and the way it mixes with the smell. Kind of like sweat mixing with perfume. I could wear it and you could wear it but it would smell completely different..." He was still watching me through narrowed eyes. "I know. I sound stupid. I'll shut up now."

I bowed my head to avoid him seeing my blush and when I checked moments later, his unfathomable expression had not changed. "What?"

"It's nothing." Mike came through the door then, glancing from Edward to me and back again. The look he gave Edward confirmed what he had said – Mike despised him. He looked back at me, his eyes not nearly as angry, but more so hurt.

"_You _look better," he accused.

"Keep your hand in your pocket and I should be."

"It's not bleeding anymore," he muttered, looking at it sceptically. "Are you going back to class?" I actually snorted at him and both boys looked at me in confusion.

"Are you kidding? I may as well go straight back in the nurses office."

"Yeah, I guess...So are you going this weekend? To the beach?" It was a direct snub to Edward. While he spoke he was openly glaring at him, who was standing against the counter, ignoring the cluttered paper as he stood still as a statue and stared into space. I tried to sound friendly.

"I _did _say that I was in."

"We're meeting at my Dad's store, at ten." His eyes flickered to Edward again, probably hoping that Edward didn't know where the store was, just in case. His body language made it very clear that it was not an open invitation. Because Edward was pretending not to pay any attention, I was insulted for him.

"I said I'd be there."

"I'll see you in Gym, then," he said slowly, moving awkwardly toward the door. He obviously didn't want to leave me alone with Edward, but he was being so rude that I really didn't want to be around him.

"See you." I replied. He looked at me once more, his face slightly pouting and then he walked slowly through the door, and his shoulders slumped. A swell of sympathy washed over me. I pondered seeing his disappointed face again...in Gym.

"Gym," I groaned when I acknowledged what that meant. Running around with a whole bunch of people who smelt like blood! I would be seeing that apple juice soon.

"I can take care of that." I hadn't noticed Edward moving to my side, but he spoke now into my ear. "Go sit down and look pale," he whispered, sending a shiver through me.

Not a difficult feat. I was already pale and it was not likely to subside for the rest of the day. I was shivering just because of how close he had been to me so I tried to keep the sensation alive by thinking more thoughts about how close he could, potentially, be. I rested my head against the wall with my eyes closed to better imagine it – fainting spells always exhausted me, so it wasn't like I was out of character.

I heard Edward speaking softly at the counter.

"Ms. Cope?"

"Yes?" I hadn't heard her return to her desk.

"Vivienne has Gym next hour, and I don't think she feels well enough. Actually, I was thinking I should take her home now. Do you think you could excuse her from class?" His voice was like melting honey. I was trying to imagine how overwhelming his eyes would be and felt another shiver run over me – apparently with perfect timing.

"Do you need to be excused, too, Edward?" Ms Cope fluttered. Why couldn't I do that? There really _was _something the matter with me.

"No, I have Mrs. Goff, she won't mind." I listened silently as she typed away at her computer for a few moments. She turned back to Edward with a bright smile.

"Okay, it's all taken care of. You feel better, Vivienne." She called to me. I gave her a hammed up, weakened wave for added effect as I stood.

"Are you sure you can walk, or do you want me to carry you again?" Yes. Yes I did, I couldn't properly appreciate it the first time, you see because I thought that I was going to vomit and ruin your beautiful Armani shirt – but now that I am feeling like the world has stopped moving I would certainly-

"I'll walk." I growled out, cutting off my rather embarrassing train of thought. He held the door for me, his smile polite but his eyes were fully mocking me. I walked into the cold, fine mist that had begun to fall and for the umpteenth time, I turned my head up to the rain. I appreciated the feeling of it washing my face clean of the clamminess the sickness had stuck to it.

"Thanks," I said as he followed me out. "It's almost worth getting sick just so I can ditch Gym."

"Anytime." He was staring straight forward, squinting into the rain. I bit my lip, ready to try and dance around a lie that I knew he would catch me on.

"So are you going? This Saturday, I mean?" I was hoping he would though I doubted it. The invitation had not included him and it would be hard to ignore Mike's threatening tones. I couldn't imagine him loading up into a carpool with the rest of the kids from school; he didn't belong in the same world. But just hoping that he might give me some genuine excitement that went in the opposite direction from my mothers past and into my dream-state future.

"Where are you all going, exactly?" He was still looking ahead, expressionless.

"Down to La Push, to First Beach." I studied his face as I said it, but he was purposely making it so that it would be impossible to read. His eyes seemed to narrow infinitesimally and he smiled wryly.

"I don't think I was invited."

"I just invited you." I blushed. I could hear it now, the rumours starting about me asking a boy on a date and how he rejected me. Not that I thought it was a date, but I had a horrible idea that this could all be how it started...I was in a bad place.

"Let's you and I not push poor Mike any further this week. We don't want him to snap." His eyes danced, he was probably enjoying the idea more than he should. I could not get over the way he had paired us together, it was what_ I _was enjoying more than I should.

"I'm so over it that I'm flying." I muttered.

We were near the parking lot now. I veered left, toward my truck when something caught my jacket and yanked me back. I sighed, not even needing to look.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, outraged. He was gripping a fistful of my bright yellow jacket in one hand. I looked to him like he was brain damaged.

"I'm going home."

"Did you not hear me promise to take you safely home? Do you think I'm going to let you drive in your condition?"

"What condition? I'm totally fine now. Why do you always think there is something wrong with me?" I complained. "And what about my truck?"

"I'll have Alice drop it off after school." He was towing me toward his car now, pulling me by my jacket. It was all I could do to keep from falling backward which he probably wouldn't have stopped for anyway. It was disconcerting.

"Let go!" I insisted. He ignored me. I staggered along sideways across the wet sidewalk until we reached the Volvo. Then he finally freed me – I stumbled against the passenger side door.

"You're so _pushy._" I grumbled, looking at the handle.

"It's open." Was his response. He got into the drivers side.

"I am perfectly capable of driving my own vehicle home." I stood by the car, fuming and refusing to get inside. The rain had picked up – I had a secret hope that if I got too soaked, he wouldn't _want _me in his perfect, shiny Volvo. I watched the window lower.

"Get in, Vivienne." I didn't answer. I was mentally trying to do math calculations – that weren't even remotely close to accurate, nevertheless real – and see if I could reach my truck before he caught me. All answers supporting me were nonexistent. I didn't need to be good at math to know that one.

"I'll just drag you back," ah. He had caught onto my plan. I glared at him, bouncing on my heels for a moment as I looked between truck and Adonis. "Vivienne..."

I sighed, trying to show annoyance though the real reason I was then climbing into his car was just because I doubted I could stand much longer if he kept saying my name like that. I mumbled about how unnecessary this action of chivalry was but he didn't answer. He fiddled with the controls, turning the heater up, the music down. As he pulled out of the parking lot, I was prepared to give him the silent treatment – my face in full out pout mode – but then I recognized the music playing, and my curiosity got the better of my intentions.

"Clair de Lune?" I asked, surprised.

"You know Debussy?" He sounded surprised, too.

"Not really," I admitted. "My family all loves classical. Debussy is what my Mother makes my brother listen to as he falls asleep." I smiled. "This happens to be one of my favourites."

"It's one of my favourites, too." He stared through the rain, lost in thought.

"I'm more of a Mozart girl." I smiled, the songs starting to flitter through my mind as I said it. He looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Too many notes?" I let out a chuckle very similar to his; being reminded that it was what Mozart was known for – too many notes in his music. It was, however, the most impressive and the best. Just thinking about Mozart's Requiem Mass made my chest swell.

"Too much emotion." I corrected. I listened to Debussy, relaxing against the light gray leather seat. It was impossible not to respond to the soothing, familiar melody. It reminded me of Shawn and his quirky little ways. It also made me wonder if he were currently listening to this in my bedroom that he had wanted so badly. I began to realize that we were driving fast but I didn't feel the speed because the car moved so evenly over the pavement. Only the town flashing by gave it away.

"What is your mother like?" he asked me suddenly. I glanced over at him with curious eyes, but he seemed to mean no insult by the uncomfortable subject. I sighed.

"Most people would think of all the bad things after everything I told you – but it's hard. I guess she was selfish, but in the end it was just that she wanted so much of me because she never got any of it. She had a tough childhood: she was a ballerina. She got an injury when she was twenty-two and could never dance again. She's strong, very strong. I envy her, though I think she just goes about it the wrong way..." I smiled, thinking about my mother and her less than kind ways of handling things. "I have too much of Charlie in me. I'm much calmer and I try to look at the big picture like he does, I'm awkward and shy. She's very impulsive. I did get my throbbing curiosity from her."

"Curiosity killed the cat." He said pointedly. I smiled back to him, though I was sure my smile was not nearly as stunning as his.

"Luckily I'm just your friendly neighbourhood teenage klutz."

"How old are you, Vivienne?" He asked. His voice was frustrated again, for some reason that I could not imagine. He had stopped the car and I realized that we were already at my house. The rain was so heavy that I could barely see it at all; it was as if the car were submerged in a waterfall.

"Seventeen." I responded, a little confused by the question.

"You don't seem seventeen." I laughed at him.

"I just made a Spiderman reference and youdon't think I seem seventeen?"

"Don't get me wrong, you have those mannerisms." He thought aloud. "But your presence seems older." I smiled and hummed to myself to which he gave me a look of confusion.

"My Mom always says that I was born thirty-five and each year I get closer to menopause." I blushed automatically, realizing only now how embarrassing that joke really is. "Someone has to be the adult." I explained.

"She's not?"

"You don't seem much like a junior yourself." I said quickly, changing the subject. I could tell that I hadn't fooled him, but he seemed to understand quickly and shrugged.

"So why did your mother marry Earl?" Ah. He had changed the subject too. Bad sign. Maybe we should just stay away from our maturity and reasons for it - but he didn't seem to want to stay away from the idea of my family. I sighed before I looked at him in confusion. Wait, how could he ever remember Earl's name? It had been almost two months ago that I had talked about him.

"My Mother hates being alone."

"Why would that be?"

"Because she knew one day something like this would happen and she decided she needed backups." I muttered darkly. I came out of that mindset quickly, looking at him with a smile. "I mean, no one likes to be alone, do they?"

"No." He shook his head, looking straight out at the house. "Do you approve of him?"

"Does it matter?" I countered. "I want her to be happy and she seems happy enough…she gets what she wants."

"That's very generous…I wonder," he thought out loud. I furrowed my brow.

"What?"

"Would she extend the same courtesy to you, do you think? No matter whom your choice was?" His eyes flashed back to me, searching them. I tried not to blush, knowing that if I were to pick anyone it would be him, and no one would ever disapprove of bringing him home to meet the parents - just so long as he was in the same mood as he had been today and mothers didn't go crazy and get jealous.

Though I could see why they would.

"I-I think so," I stumbled. "But she's the parent, after all. It's a bit different."

"No one too scary then," he teased. I grinned in response, trying to think of him being scary and was quite upset when I knew what it looked like. With his pitch black eyes and his lack of humour - that glare that looked like he would throw someone into a fiery pit if he wanted to…

Note to self: never get on Edward Cullen's bad side.

"What do you mean by scary?" I asked with an awkward chuckle. "Multiple facial piercing and extensive tattoos?" I actually didn't mind facial piercings - so long as they weren't ridiculous or you had too many; nor did I actually mind tattoos so long as they were done well and by a worth-while artist. Otherwise, you were just marking up your body not as a statement, but as a pass-time.

"That's one definition, I suppose."

"What's your definition?"

He ignored my question as he had been doing for a while now and I automatically knew the answer.

"Do you think that _I _could be scary?" He was asking the question that I already knew the answer for - I also knew his answer for it. He thought he was scary. He had made it all too clear at lunch. He was right, though I didn't understand half of what he was 'giving away' he was accidentally giving too much of it. What I had caught on to gave me the jist that he was terrified of terrifying me. I had yet to be convinced.

"I think you could be, if you wanted to."

"Are you frightened of me now?" The smile had vanished and his face was again serious. I wondered if he was worried that I was scared of him or if he thought it a good idea. I answered almost too quickly.

"No." The thing was he must have thought that I was scared of him - which was, kind of, the truth. But it wasn't that I was afraid of his unnerving eyes or intense stares -or glares. It was that I was scared of how I felt when I was around him, which was like some stupid teenage romance novel.

"So, now are you going to tell me about your family?" I asked to distract him. "They must be more interesting than mine."

He was instantly cautious. "What do you want to know?"

"So…they adopted you, right?"

"Yes."

I hesitated, knowing this next question may be a painful one. "Do you mind if I ask…I mean…why did they have to? What hap-"

"My parents died many years ago." His tone was a matter of fact. "It's not a painful question."

"I'm sorry, Edward." I mumbled.

"I don't really remember them that clearly. Carlisle and Esme have been my parents for a long time now."

"You love them, I can tell."

"Yes." He smiled. "I could not imagine two better people."

"You're really lucky." I whispered, looking out the window briefly.

"I know I am."

"What about your brother and sister?" I asked, thinking back to all the astonishingly beautiful faces. He looked at the clock on the dashboard.

"My brother and sister, and Jasper and Rosalie for that matter, are going to be quite upset if they have to stand in the rain waiting for me."

"Oh, my bad, I guess you have to go." But I didn't get out of the car. I didn't want to. In fact, I wanted to ask him to stay - or even just to come back after he had dropped them off. But that was foolish. We had only started talking today and I didn't want him to think of me as some obsessed groupie - which may or may not be how I was starting to categorize myself.

"And you probably want your truck back before Charlie gets home, so you don't have to tell him about the Biology incident." I hoped that behind that smile he was giving me reasons so that I wouldn't feel as bad about him leaving. It was slightly working.

"I'm sure he's already heard. There are no secrets in Forks."

"Have fun at the beach…good weather for sun bathing." He glanced out at the sheeting rain and turned back to me with a shrug. I could feel my face drop.

"Won't I see you tomorrow?"

"No. Emmett and I are starting the weekend early."

"What are you going to do?" I hope that the disappointment wasn't ringing too loudly in my voice. And more than that, I hoped that it was alright for me to ask. We had been playing a game much like twenty questions and I couldn't deny that I wanted to know everything that went on inside that head of his.

"We're going hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, just south of Rainier." I remembered briefly that my Dad had told me about the Cullen's and their frequent camping trips. I had never been camping in my life - not for lack of wanting to - just because it was not something my family did. We were not an active bunch, we were artsy.

"Oh, well, don't get swallowed by any large wilderness animal or lost in the woods." I tried to sound enthusiastically sarcastic, but I don't think it fooled him. I couldn't even fool myself into thinking I didn't want him to stick around. A smile was playing on the edge of his lips.

"Will you do something for me this weekend?" He turned to look me straight in the face, taking advantage of the power behind his burning golden eyes. I nodded, dazed once more.

"Don't be offended, but you seem to be one of those people who just attract accidents like a magnet. So…try not to fall into the ocean or get run over by anything, all right?" He smiled crookedly. The helplessness faded and I glared at him, but put on my own smile.

"Fine. But please keep in mind that means I have no control over the other unspecified accidents and catastrophes." With that, I jumped out into the rain and slammed the door behind me with excessive force.

He was laughing as he sped away.

**Like it? Like the character? Have feedback? Tell me, by reviewing! Also, check out **_Sickening _**which just got really interesting and read the memo for a great Harry Potter story :)**

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**Egypt**


	7. Scary Stories

**Thank you guys so much for reviewing! It's so awesome that I finally got reviews for this story. Well, I have school tomorrow and sadly it's an 8 o'clock class, so I'm just giving one update of this story. Tomorrow, I plan to have another chapter of this out as well as a chapter from **_Forgetting Franki__**. **_

**Thank you so much to **_Mackenzie L._**, **_Angel of the Night Watchers_**, **_Yaoi-Beloved_**, and**_ pwndheartx_** for your reviews. It's so nice to know that people are actually liking this now! This chapter and the next two after it are for you guys because you made me want to keep writing this one again, thank you!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Six - Scary Stories

* * *

I was bored as I sat in my room. I was supposed to be reading the third act of Macbeth, but I had done costumes and makeup for a performance of it before, forcing me to sit around for hours to listening to their rehearsals, so I didn't really need the refresher. Secretly, as I sat in my room, I was waiting to hear the engine of my truck. I would have thought that even over the sound of the rain, I could have heard it - but when I went to peek out of the curtain - again - it was there all of it's own accord.

I was not looking forward to Friday and it more than lived up to my non-expectations. Of course there were the fainting comments, Jessica particularly seemed to get a kick out of that story. Luckily, Mike had kept his mouth shut and no one seemed ot know about Edward's involvement. She did have a lot of questions about lunch, though.

"So, what did Edward Cullen want yesterday?" Jessica asked me in Trig.

"I don't actually know, he's really bad at getting to the point of things." I answered honestly.

"You looked kind of mad," she fished. I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh, did I?"

"You know, I've never seen him sit with anyone but his family before. That was weird." She was trying to fish to see if there was something I wasn't telling her, but to be honest I only paid attention to the actual statement and not it's hidden meaning. I sighed.

"For sure." I agreed. She seemed annoyed that I wasn't one for gossip and flipped her dark curls impatiently - obviously she was upset that I wasn't like all her other friends. She wanted to hear something that would have made a good story to pass on, or to get her attention because she was the only one who knew.

The worst part about Friday was that even though I knew he wasn't going to be there, I still hoped. When I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica and Mike I couldn't even help from just peeking at his table where Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper sat talking, their heads all close together. They looked like they were plotting - which was not the most pleasant thought. Pretty people like that were the ones who got away with murder.

I couldn't stop the gloom that hung over me when I realized I didn't know how long it would be before I saw him again. It was an unpleasant sensation.

At the usual table, everyone was full of our plans for the next day. Mike was animated again, putting a great deal of trust in the local weatherman who had promised for sun. I'd have to see that before I believed it - which I hadn't actually seen yet. But it was noticeably warmer today, maybe around sixty. So maybe the beach wouldn't be as pathetic as I feared. I tried to remind myself I wasn't going for a taste of home I was going for a taste of my roots - my mother grew up on the La Push res. It wouldn't just be sunbathing and surfing to me, to me, this would be history.

I intercepted a few unfriendly glances from Lauren during lunch, which I didn't understand until we were all walking out of the room together. I was right behind her, just a foot from her slick, silver blonde hair but she obviously didn't know that because not even she had the nerve to talk behind my back.

"...don't know why Livi-" an evident sneer came with my name, "doesn't just sit with the Cullen's from now on," I heard her murmuring to Mike. I had never noticed how her voice was so nasal and high pitched, like Janice from friends. I wondered briefly if she had the adjoining donkey laugh. I really didn't know her well at all, which was why I was surprised by the overwhelming malice in her words. I didn't think she knew me enough to dislike me that much.

"She's my friend," Mike said loyally. "She sits with us." It was somewhat territorial and though it was nice to be fought for, I had a feeling it wasn't quite for all the right reasons. Or for my right reasons. This school had an amazing difference between my last one - there, you only had this kind of talk about peoples performances: we didn't like to gossip and name kick this much unless it was jealousy for parts or whom happened to sleep with whoever else in the dressing rooms, but here...well, here it was a constant battle of the uprising. You had to fight to the surface and keep kicking as if you were treading water.

I fell back under the surface, letting Jess and Angela pass me. I didn't want to hear anymore even if I was afraid of the water.

* * *

That night at dinner, Charlie seemed enthusiastic about my trip to La Push in the morning. He wanted me to go find my roots too, or so he said, but I think he was just starting to feel bad leaving me alone on the weekends. He thought I was finally starting to fit in now that I had friends - I secretly hoped he was right.

He knew all the names of the kids going, their parents, Hell - he may have even known their grandparents. He seemed to approve of all the attendants, and I wondered if he would feel the same about me catching a ride to Seattle with Edward Cullen...not that I was going to tell him.

"Dad, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something like that? It's near Rainier." I asked casually. He hummed his acknowledgement through a mouthful of the dinner I had made. I felt like I had to defend myself. "Oh. I was just wondering. Some kids were talking about camping there."

"It's not a very good place for camping," he sounded surprised, subconsciously worrying about wiping food out of his moustache. "Too many bears. Most people go there during the hunting season."

"Oh. Maybe I got the name wrong." I hope I got the name wrong. Nothing would destroy me more than an Edward Cullen headstone sticking out of the ground. Then again - something told me that if a van couldn't crush him, a bullet from a lousy shotgun couldn't kill him, either.

* * *

I meant to sleep in, but the unusual brightness woke me. I groaned. "Katie, close the curtains." I groaned only to open my eyes at the sound of my own voice. I was alone, Katie was not here. I was in Forks. The first thing I noticed was that I must have walked in my sleep again. It was obvious thanks to the fact I was in my pajamas on the floor, leaning up against the legs of the couch. Great. But I was so distracted by the bright light that I ran to the window, not caring or worrying over any bumps and bruises from my comatose walk around the house. The sun was leaking in through my window and right on to my face, I couldn't believe it. I was sure that I owed someone ten bucks. I saw that the sun was in the wrong place in the sky, too low, and it didn't seem as close as I was used to, but it was the sun. Clouds ringed the horizon but there was a nice, big patch of blue right in the middle. I lingered by the window as long as I could, afraid that if I left the blue would disappear again.

The Newtons' Olympic Outfitters store was just north of town. I had seen it before but I had never stopped in - I was a little too clumsy to go in a store where the walls were lined with fishhooks and other things that could potentially dismember me. In the parking lot, I recognized Mike's Suburban and Tyler's Sentra. As I pulled up next to their vehicles, I could see the group standing around the front of the Suburban. Eric was there, along with two other boys who I think were Conner and Ben. Angela there flanked by Jessica and Lauren - oh, I'd have to keep my distance from that one. Three other girls stood with them, including one I remember falling over in Gym on Friday. That one gave me a dirty look as I got out of the truck and whispered to Lauren who gave me a glare of her own.

Great. It would be one of those days.

I hope they didn't expect me to join in on their little game...for their sakes.

"You came!" Mike called enthusiastically. It was nice for someone to want to see me. "And I said it would be sunny today, didn't I?

"I told you I was coming," I reminded him. He nodded.

"We're waiting on Lee and Samantha...unless you invited someone?" Mike added lowly. I saw some eyes flicker over to me and I shook my head, knowing that if I said 'no' I would be lying - and we all know how well that goes over. Mike looked satisfied.

"Will you ride in my car? It's that or Lee's mom's minivan."

"Sure." It was the response that seemed to make him happiest, even if I shouldn't be doing that. I just really didn't know Lee well enough to sit in his van and I didn't know who all would be there. At least if I sat with Mike I knew who I needed to kick away on the flirt scale - when I was with people I didn't know it was like open season on Vivienne's love life.

"You can have shotgun," he promised. I hid my chagrin rather royally for someone as bad as I am at lying. If only it were simple to make Jessica and Mike happy at the same time...

The numbers worked out in favour of that very scenario because Lee ended up bringing two extras, and suddenly every single seat needed to be used. Because he had promised me shotgun, I sat in that seat but I was sure to stick Jessica right in between us. She did not seem to mind the close wedge.

It was only fifteen minutes from La Push from Forks and I was slightly amazed I had yet to make the trip myself, the forest was beautiful and lush as the forest edged the road most of the way to the wide Quillayute River snaking beneath it twice. I was really happy I had the window seat. We'd rolled them down because it got so stuffy and I was slightly claustrophobic, so sticking my head out the window like a dog suddenly seemed like the least embarrassing action in comparison to a panic attack.

I hadn't been to the beach in a long time, I remembered that it wasn't sandy but rocky. Dad didn't like coming here, he said the swimming was too dangerous for a bad swimmer like me and though he wouldn't say it, I knew it was painful for him. This is where he and my mother met and got married. I'd always said I would get married here too - it was strange to think I didn't even remember the shoreline.

The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven peaks that were crowned with finger-like firs. The beach had only a thin border of actual sand and it was more gravel than fine sand like Phoenix. After the sand it grew into millions of large, slimy stones that look uniformly gray from a distance but close up they were every shade a stone could be, from terra-cotta, to lavender, to a dull gold. The tide line was strewn with dead driftwood - bleached bone white from the salt and all piled together against the edge of the forest, just out of reach from the waves.

The wind coming off the waves wasn't favourable, but it was one of the things I could remember. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them. I kept my eyes on the eagle as long as I could - before my mother married Earl, she had been completely into the idea of spirituality and Eagles had been a good omen to her. I watched it and gave it a smile, which only broadened when I heard it cry immediately after. It circled the clouds in the sky, but for now they did not invade the sun's glare over the water.

We picked our way down the beach, Mike leading the way to a ring of Driftwood logs that had obviously been used for parties before. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with ashes. Eric and Ben gathered broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forests edge and soon a teepee-shaped construction was atop the old cinders.

"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Mike asked me, his eyes lighting up. I was sitting on one of the bone-trees, the other girls were clustered and gossiping excitedly on the other side of me. Mike bent over the fire, lighting a smaller stick with a cigarette lighter.

"I grew up here." I answered with a smile as I pulled my knees higher up as he lit the twig against the teepee.

"Oh." He frowned. "Then you'll know about the colours?" He lit another small branch and laid it alongside the first. The flames started to lick up the dry wood and I felt myself smiling, losing my cool and indifferent air that I tried to keep at all times when he was around.

"I missed driftwood fires!" I breathed, watching the blue flames dance as I thought of every blue I had ever seen in my pencil crayons, my paints, my pastels...but nothing I could have painted or drawn would have recreated this, it was too magnificent.

"Pretty, isn't it?" He lit another piece and placed it where the fire hadn't caught before he sat down beside me. Thankfully, Jess had plopped herself on the other side and seemed not to notice this betrayal. She turned to him and claimed his attention quickly - I was glad. I watched the strange blue and green flames crackle towards the sky and briefly wondered how I had not remembered what this looked like. Sure, I remembered the chemical reaction of the salt itself, but it was something completely different to see it in front of you.

After a half an hour of regular chatter that I even immersed myself in - but got too annoyed with some of the glares that Lauren threw me - the boys decided they wanted to check out the tidal pools. That was a dilemma. On one hand I thought that it would be a sight to see, on the other I seemed to remember doing a lot of falling into them as a child. Not a big deal when you're seven and with your dad who can easily lift you out - a bit of a bigger deal when you had specifically made a promise not to fall into the ocean to the man of your dreams...

Ew, Vivienne. Don't romanticize his taunt.

Lauren, however, made the decision for me by not wearing the right shoes to hike. Jess and Angela wanted to stay, too. I waited for Tyler and Eric to say they were going to stay with them before I hopped up with the hikers. Mike gave me a huge smile that made me feel uneasy about being with his group, but the glares from Lauren outweighed his flirtation, so I quickly threw a small one back.

The hike didn't take long, though I hated losing the sky in the woods. The green light of the forest was strangely at odds with the adolescent laughter, too murky and ominous to be in harmony with the light banter all around me. I had to watch every step I took so I lost some of the scenery and I fell behind, but every time I looked up and appreciated how pretty the foliage was, I tripped. Not good. Eventually I broke through the emerald forest and onto the rocky shore. It was low tide and the tidal river flowed past us on its way into the sea. Along it's pebbled banks, the pools were surging with life.

I was very cautious not to lean too far over the edges of these little ponds. The others were fearless, leaping over rocks and perching on edges...I watched and not so jokingly rooted for them to fall. I found a very stable looking rock on the fringe of one of the larger pools and sat there carefully, spellbound by the natural aquarium under me. The bouquets of brilliant anemones swayed ceaselessly in an invisible current. The twisted shells scurried about the edges, hiding the crabs that lived in them, the starfish stuck motionless to the rocks and each other while one small black eel with white racing stripes wove through the brilliant green weeds, just waiting for the sea to return. I was completely absorbed, except for one small part of my mind that wondered what Edward was doing right now and trying to imagine what information he would be feeding me were he here.

Finally the boys were hungry and I stiffly started moving with them to go back. I tried to keep up this time and naturally fell because I wasn't watching my feet. I got some shallow scrapes on my palms and the knees of my jeans were stained green and the skin probably bruised, but I had done much worse in the past. I considered my shallow injuries a victory of grace.

When we got back to the beach, the group we had left behind had multiplied. When we got closer, I could see the shining straight black hair and copper skin of the newcomers: Quileute, like me. They were darker than me though, I was much more pale thanks to Charlie's genetics and their hair was black where mine was just a dark brown - almost auburn in the sunlight, not that anyone cared to notice.

The food was already being passed around and the boys hurried to claim their share while Eric introduced us all. Angela and I were the last to arrive and as Eric said our names, I noticed a younger boy sitting on the stones near the fire glance up to me in interest. I sat down next to her and Mike brought us sandwiches with an array of sodas to choose from. I picked the ginger ale, he wrinkled his nose at my choice. A boy who looked the oldest of the Quileutes rattled off the names of seven people with him, and I caught one girls name that was also Jessica and the boy who I noticed staring at me was named Jacob.

It was relaxing to sit with Angela, she was just that kind of presence. She didn't feel the need to fill each silence with chatter and left me free to think while we ate. I was thinking about how time didn't tend to make sense in Forks, passing in a blur at times, then some snap shots that seemed more significant because of how strongly they stood out of my memories. Then, at other times, every second of a moment were etched harshly into my memory. I knew exactly what, or whom caused the difference - and the fact he had a name disturbed me.

During lunch, the clouds started to advance casting long shadows across the beach and blackening the waves. As they finished eating, people started to drift off into smaller groups - some walking down to the waves and trying to skip rocks and some going to check out the tidal pools again. Most boys had girls at their sides now so they wanted to go to the tidal pools. Mike led a small group - including Jessica, who was far too eager - to a shop in the village. Lauren and Tyler sat at the other side of the circle listening to a CD player with three other Natives and the spokesperson - I'm so bad with names - sat across from me with the boy named Jacob.

When Angela left with the hikers, Jacob sauntered to take her place beside me. He looked fourteen, maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet coloured, much darker than mine but you could tell they were from the same tint. His cheekbones were even higher than mine and lined his dark eyes that were a different, darker colour of brown than mine - his seemed more lovely. He still had a hint of childish roundness left to his chin. It was a very pretty face. However, my positive opinions on his looks were damaged by the first words out of his mouth.

"You're Vivienne Swan, aren't you?" It was like school. First day. I wondered if he would join Team Lauren, or even worse, Team Mike...

"Liv." I corrected.

"I'm Jacob Black." He held out his hand. "You bought my Dad's truck."

"Oh!" I was relieved and shook his hand. At least there was another reason he knew me beside all the small-town gossip. "Billy's son. I should probably remember you..." But I didn't. Plain and simple. I could have added that but I was sure that he got the idea.

"No, I'm the youngest of the family - you would remember my older sisters."

"Oh...oh! They were the twins right? Rachel and Rebecca?" I wish I recalled stuff like that all the time, I would probably not make the fishy-face as often. Charlie and Billy had thrown us together a lot during their visits with each other, which were for them more so than between the twins and I. By the time I was eleven, the fishing trips stopped. I knew that it was probably a good thing, they weren't much older but I had been a little intimidated by them and when I went in the boat I had an uncanny talent of falling out...

"Are they here?" I examined the edge, wondering if I would be able to recognize them, but knew they weren't. I wouldn't peg it on knowing them, per se, but more that I didn't see any twins.

"No." Jacob shook his head. "Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, Rebecca married a Samoan surfer and lives in Hawaii now."

"Married. Wow." I was stunned. The twins weren't much over a year older than me. I couldn't imagine being married that young - I'd feel like I would be missing so much of life.

"So, how do you like the truck?

"I admire it. Runs pretty great considering how old he is."

"He?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged, trying to hide my blush. He caught my embarrassment quickly. "I always thought it'd be a she." I looked up at him gratefully, liking the kid already.

"He runs great, but really slow," he laughed as he continued. "I was so relieved when Charlie bought it. My Dad wouldn't let me work on building another car when we had a 'perfectly good' vehicle right there."

"Hey, don't hate the truck. It's not that slow."

"Have you ever tried going over sixty?" I shook my head, I'd had no reason to. "Good. Don't."

He grinned at me and I couldn't help but grin back. "It does great in a collison," I offered in the trucks defense. He seemed to laugh harder, thinking that me getting into a car accident was funny.

"I don't think a tank could take out that old monster," he agreed with another laugh.

"So, you build cars, huh?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"When I have free time and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get a cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?" He added jokingly. His pleasant, husky voice made me want to keep smiling.

"Sorry," I sighed. "I usually have one in my back pocket, but I wore the wrong jeans!" He laughed with me. "Seriously though, a Rabbit? That's impressive. They were really sturdy, if a bit awkward. The '86 was a good model - the round lights look better than the square ones."

He was making the fishy face! I was glad I wasn't the only one to do it. "You-know-cars." It was a statement and each word was stung with emphasis to something I didn't understand. I blushed.

"Mostly body work, not so much how to actually do the mechanics. I could name you the parts of a car and sometimes what they do, but I couldn't rebuild one or anything."

"Still..." He smiled. "You could help me paint it when it's done!" He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to recognize. I wasn't the only one to see it.

"You know Livi, Jacob?" Lauren spit. He seemed to notice the malice in her voice too and instantly became defensive of me.

"We've known each other since we were born, actually." He smiled at me.

"How nice." She didn't sound like she thought it was nice at all and her cold eyes narrowed. "Livi, I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?" Her expression of concern was unconvincing and I felt myself blush, thinking of how I had. I wanted to spit off how he was camping and told me had wished he could come - but was interrupted.

"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?" The tall, older boy asked. Lauren seemed irritated at the...well, he was closer to being a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep.

"Yes, do you know them?" She asked condescendingly, turning half way towards him.

"The Cullens don't come here," he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question. Tyler got back her attention easily and I saw that maybe there was a reason for all that malice.

I looked back suspiciously to the man-boy across from me, but he was staring off into the forest. He had said that the Cullens didn't come here, but he had obviously meant that they weren't allowed. It was like when I talked to Edward and he made it very clear some of his more silent remarks meant something else. His manner left a strange, nagging expression on me and I tried to ignore it without success.

Jacob, luckily, stopped my train wrecked mind from going to far. "So is Forks driving you insane yet?"

"Understatement of the century." I grimaced. He grinned in understanding. We fell ingo a short silence again as I fought with my mind to understand the statement of the Cullens, but suddenly I had inspiration. But was I that cruel? Was I really desperate enough to hope that young Jacob - probably still inexperienced around girls - wouldn't notice me completely using him so that he wouldn't see through my really underused talents of flirting?

For Edward? Yes, I guess I was.

"Do you wanna walk the beach with me? I'd dig the barefoot style were I not a walking, global disaster." Okay, maybe I didn't know how to flirt. He seemed to think that my attempt with flirting was something, however, and he willing jumped up to leave.

I shoved my hands deep into my jacket as we walked and I was suddenly nervous and cold. The clouds had finally taken over the sky and had caused the sea to darken and the temperature to drop. I closed my eyes, thinking of all the techniques that Edward seemed to use to allure me - it was easy to pinpoint, but something told me it would not be so easy to duplicate.

"So how old are you? Sixteen?" I asked, trying not to look like an idiot as I looked up from my eyelashes like he had done. He seemed to blush a bit, flattered.

"I just turned fifteen," he admitted.

"For real?" I asked, my face full of false surprise. I had guessed around fourteen or fifteen. "I would have thought you were older..." than twelve, I added. These were the techniques I had to use to lie.

"I'm tall for my age." I looked - ah, he kind of was.

"Do you come up to Forks much?" I asked archly as if I were hoping for a yes - which wasn't exactly a lie. He seemed like a cool guy and I wouldn't mind another friend, one who wouldn't talk behind my back or use me for gossip. I really hoped he wouldn't call me on the only part of my act that wasn't fraud. He didn't seem to.

"Not too much," he frowned. "I like the res. But when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want - after I get my license."

"I like the res too. It's cool to look at my history."

"I was wondering if you were Quileute!" He said it almost victoriously. I smiled.

"Yup. Only a quarter, though. My Mom didn't really end up keeping with tradition or anything." I smiled. "I'm more of a pale face than a Native."

"Your face looks pretty great, to me." He blushed. I decided it was time to change the subject very quickly. And looked back towards the group we had left to feign inspiration.

"Who was that boy that Lauren was talking to? He seemed a bit old to be hanging around with us." I grouped myself with him to make him think that I liked spending time with him more than people our own age, the guy probably wasn't that much older than me - maybe just four, five years?

"That's Sam - he's nineteen," he informed me. Huh, only two? He looked older for some reason.

"Oh. What was that he was saying about the doctors family?" I asked innocently. "Seemed pretty passionate about it."

"The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation." He looked away towards James Island, a little formation of rocks far out into the water. So I was right - they were forbidden. Maybe I was good with reading people, myself.

"Why not?" I asked, trying not to seem to enthusiastic.

"Oops." He bit his lip. "I'm not supposed to say anything about that."

"Oh. I wouldn't tell or anything, I'm just curious. Was it like when you're kicked out of a mall?" I teased, trying to lighten the load and make him less nervous. "But you don't have to tell me..." I smiled, hoping I wasn't laying it on too thick, but he seemed to accept it as he smiled back. It was almost like he actually looked allured as he lifted an eyebrow, his voice more husky than before.

"Do you like scary stories?" he asked ominously.

"I love them," I enthused, using the unheard of L-word for emphasis. I did like scary stories, but that was because they were fake - and who knows, what if this...story wasn't fake at all?

Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree and sat on it, ushering me to do the same. He was trying to make this good, trying to put the scary-story mood in the air. It was working, whether it be because I might actually get a clue into the being of Edward Cullen or the fact that I liked scary stories and Jacob was obviously about to tell a good one - I didn't know.

"Well, tan-face," I smirked. "Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from - the Quileutes, I mean?" he began with a glimmer in his eye.

"Roughly. I haven't heard them since my Mom stopped telling me bedtime stories. I may have heard them once or twice when my siblings were listening to them." I thought about it. "So yeah - roughly, I know a few."

"Well, there are lots of them, some claiming to date back to the Flood - supposedly the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the trees on the tallest mountain to survive because Noah didn't have enough room." He smiled, to show me how little stock he put in the stories. "Then there are the ones that say we descended from wolves-"

"That one was my favourite!" I piped in, getting too excited for my own good. He smiled with my excitement and I blushed. "About the wolves, I mean. Between that story and the Lion King, my favourite animals were picked out from birth."

"Well apparently they are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them." I smiled and hoped, quietly, that it was constantly enforced. "Then there are the stories about the cold ones." His voice dropped a little lower and something told me that this was what he had been getting to.

"The cold ones?" I repeated, my intrigue spiked. It could have been because I was so absorbed, but I couldn't remember the story about the cold ones. I remembered my mother referring to them in other stories, but not the actual legend of them. I tried not to wrack my brains too hard while I tried to pay attention.

"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to the legends, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." He rolled his eyes, dramatically. He was trying to seem cool, but I was more than happy to nerd out.

"I miss hearing the legends." I told him quietly, just so he could stop playing it cool. "And they-wait. Your great-grandfather?"

He nodded with a shug, trying to make sure I wouldn't make it a big deal. "He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are natural enemies of the wolf - well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors."

"So...the werewolves. I remember."

"That's what the pale faces call them." He joked. I, like the mature seventeen year old I was, stuck my tongue out at him.

"So..." I started again, embarrassed by my own behaviour. "Werewolves have enemies?"

"Only one."

I stared at him earnestly, hoping to encourage him to speak faster, maybe just to say the punch line and then fill in the blanks. He smiled, he seemed to be amused by how enthralled I was.

"So you see," Jacob continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfathers time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did - they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale faces." He winked at me and I smiled.

"Lucky I'm not a pale face. Does a tan face count?"

"I...guess?" He joked about his own confusion, but it was clear he thought he wasn't supposed to be telling me anything. I wondered briefly what the consequences were if they would find out he had. I wonder if they would be less because technically, I was a member of the tribe, too.

"If they weren't so dangerous, then why?" I prompted.

"Well, there's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist..." his tone had turned into one thick with malice and I wondered if he bought into the story more than he was letting on.

"Civilized?" I questioned, trying to calm him down a little and not thinking about whatever it was that they ate - though I would make him explain that soon.

"They claimed they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals, instead." He rolled his eyes, he apparently really didn't believe that part of his story either.

"So how does that fit in with the Cullens? Are they like...descended from that clan that your great-grandfather met?" I asked casually. He smiled at me, leaning close.

"No." He paused dramatically and I actually was holding my breath. "They're the same ones."

He must have thought that the expression on my face was fear inspired by the story, but by now my head was reeling. He smiled, pleased with himself, as he continued.

"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest of the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before the pale faces even arrived." He was fighting a smile.

"But-but what are they?" I finally asked, my heart was thumping so hard against my ribs I thought that it would have to stop because it would be so exhausted later. "What are the cold ones?" He smiled darker.

"Isn't it obvious? They're blood drinkers." he replied in a chilling voice. "You might know them as-"

"Vampires." I breathed as I interrupted. I stared out at the rough ocean, not able to look at him because I wasn't sure what my face was exposing. He let out a booming laugh of delight that successfully distracted me from my rampage of thought.

"You have goose bumps!"

"You're a good story teller," I countered.

"Pretty crazy stuff, though, isn't it?" He asked with a sigh. "No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it to anyone." He thought it was embarrassing. He thought that it meant nothing - but maybe it didn't. I mean, I rarely read vampire novels - that was Arie's forte - but they were super strong, weren't they? And fast? And pale...and dead. Well, Edward most certainly wasn't dead. And besides, he could go into the daylight.

"Don't worry, I won't give you away." I said quietly and while I said it to Jacob I also thought about how I was saying it for Edward at the same time. He smiled wryly.

"I guess I kinda just violated the treaty." He muttered. "Don't let my Dad know."

"Well, I'm Quileute, does it count?" He shrugged, unsure. I smiled. "I'll take it to my grave."

"Seriously, though, don't say anything to Charlie. He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us weren't going to the hospital now that Dr. Cullen started working there." I thought about arguing that Dr. Cullen had been a wonderful doctor in my time of need, but thought I should probably stick to sounding like I was on his side.

"Of course not, seriously, stop worrying. I don't really have anyone to tell who would find it as interesting as I did. Besides, I can't tell it as well as you do." I smiled. That was certainly true.

"So, do you think we're a bunch of superstitious nerds or what?" he asked in a playful tone. He also sounded a little worried, so I smiled to sooth his nerves.

"Nah. You're pretty normal. But you tell them really well - look, I still have goose bumps." I showed him the raised skin, he examined it before nodding happily to himself: his grin splitting his face.

"Cool."

The sound of beach rocks clattering against each other made us look behind us to see Mike and Jessica about fifty yards away and walking towards us. Waving his arms over his head, I heard Mike exclaim my name with relief. He must have thought he lost me - probably that I fell in the ocean. It seemed a common fear.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Jacob asked, alerted by how quickly Mike was running towards us. I was surprised that he caught on to the affection from just the one action.

"No, definitely not." I whispered. I was more grateful to Jacob than he could have imagined, but I couldn't let me know it or else he may catch on that I had totally just played him. I threw him a friendly smile, one just for him. He beamed back at my sad excuse for flirting.

"So, when I get my license..." he started slowly. I was touched by how much he did want to see me and there was a large part of me that wanted to see him again. I just felt so bad that he was so young and so clearly not in my books like that.

"You should definitely come see me in Forks. We could hang out." He seemed reassured and nodded, something told me that he seriously would go through with these plans.

Mike had reached us by this point, Jessica still a bit farther back. She obviously hadn't been as excited to find me and burst the Mike-Jessica-having-alone-time bubble. I could see Mike's eyes appraising Jacob, looking satisfied by how young he was and how we had inches between where we were sitting.

"Where have you been?" he asked, though the answer was directly in front of him. I sighed quietly, this jealous, protector thing was getting old quick. I had heard that guys didn't catch hints, but I didn't think they just blatantly ignored them - which was exactly what Mike was doing. And not only that, but he was doing it in front of Jessica.

"We were just going over the tribe legends, talking about La Push. You know I'm part Quileute, right?" I asked as politely as I could. "Getting reacquainted with home. Jacob and I have known each other for...well, decades." I looked at Jacob with a large grin, to which he returned eagerly.

"Well," Mike said, suddenly reassessing the situation slowly. I found that strange - Jacob was still young and I was still easily consumed with all things Edward - he should know my limits. He watched our smiles warily, suddenly not trusting something as futile as age differences. "We're packing up - it looks like it's going to rain soon."

We all looked towards the darkening sky and I let out a groan. He was right.

"Stupid Washington," I growled. "Yeah. I'm coming."

"It was nice to see you again," the light taunt for Mike's expense was very clear and I tried not to laugh and make it too obvious.

"It really was. I'll hound Charlie until he brings me next time he visits Billy."

"That would be cool." It was clear that to him that would be more than cool and I thought back to my flirting worriedly. I hope I wasn't too convincing, normally, I was terrible at it. Like how I was terrible at lying - because most of the time that was around the same idea. Mike and I started walking away but I twirled around to see Jacob staring after me.

"And hey," he nodded to show he was listening. "Thanks."

I pulled up my hood as we jogged across the rocks towards the parking lot - the jog made me fall again and it was inevitable that I finally tore open the left knee of my jeans and felt the scrape without looking. Mike was ahead of me and seemed not to notice so I kept going too, just so I wouldn't draw any more attention or sympathy from him. That was not what I needed. I crawled into the back seat of the Suburban with Angela and Tyler saying that I had already been given shot gun. Angela just stared out the window, watching the nearing storm. Tyler was stolen into Lauren's attention as quickly as she could manage and that left me to lean my head back, close my eyes, and try desperately not to think.

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**So, what did you think? Did you like it? I introduced Jacob, my favourite! Well, I hope you liked it and I hope you liked the little quirks to her character - being part Quileute, being a little more stubborn, etc. Tell me what you think :)**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

**-Egypt**


	8. Nightmare

**It's so great to be getting reviews for this story, thank you all! You'll find specific thank yous at the bottom of this chapter - as will be custom for all my other stories from now on. I would like to note that I use Wikipedia references and authors names in this chapter. They're all mentioned because I love their stories and it's important to he thought process. I really hope you appreciate al the little quips I have in here as well.**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the other stories mentioned...but one day, maybe someone will write about mine and then BAM!**

**Enjoy :)**

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I told Charlie that I had a lot of homework to do and when he looked at me with a raised eyebrow I sighed and told him not to come into my room because I would be deaf to anything but my music and dancing around like a circus freak. I don't know whether or not it was insulting that he believed me, but he seemed to accept it and move on. I gave him leftovers from the night before to eat but decided not to eat anything myself. There was a basketball game on that he was excited about so my escape seemed mapped out for me.

Once in my room, I closed the door tightly and locked it - an invention that I had made myself using twine, nails, and a strap of leather. I took my iPod off the charger and found my headphones, shoving them into my ears. On random, it began with _Are You Gonna Be My Girl _by Jet. Turning it up as loud as it would go so that my ears felt like they were melting, I scanned my room and floor plan before I started dancing around. Not quite like a circus freak - when I danced I was usually more graceful - but I woudn't deny that when I was dancing I was trying tolook like a fool.

I concentrated heavily on the music and not the thoughts edging under each silence between songs. My dance moves were not so much graceful as hectic and chaotic and more than once I slammed my knees against my bed frame or ran into a wall. After one particular ram into the bed frame, I sat down because of how much it hurt and laid down to catch my breath, which didn't seem like a bad idea until I blinked my eyes and forgot how to open them again.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a familiar place. It felt like a dream world, but when you're dreaming you rarely know that you're right. I recognized the green light filtering through trees and realized I was deep within the forest again, like I had been earlier that day. I could smell the sea salt and hear the waves crashing against a shore nearby and thought that if I found the ocean, I would be able to find the sun. I was trying to follow the sound when I saw Jacob Black there. All too suddenly he was tugging on my hand, trying to pull me back into the dark forest behind me.

"Jacob? What's wrong?" I asked. He was so scared that it was radiating into my own skin and he yanked with all his resistance to try and get me to go back in the forest. I yanked against him, terrified by the idea of the dark.

"Run, Liv, you have to run!" He whispered, terrifying me by the urgency.

"Liv, this way!" I recognized Arie's voice calling out of the gloomy heart of the trees, but couldn't see her. I shouted her name, but she didn't respond. I looked back to Jacob as he pulled again. "Why?"

Jacob let go of my hand and yelped, suddenly shaking and falling to the dim forest floor. He twitched on the ground as I watched in horror, leaning down to go and help him. I shouted his name, but as soon as I did, he was gone. In his place was a large red wolf with black eyes. The wolf faced away from me then and pointed towards the shore, his hackles bristling as he growled lowly through his sharp teeth.

"Vivienne, don't look at the water. Run!" But I had already looked to the water and now I could not look away. Edward had stepped out from the trees and onto the shore, his skin faintly glowing, his eyes black and dangerous. He held up one hand and beckoned me to follow him but the wolf started growling, making me afraid to move.

I tried taking a step forward, toward Edward. He smiled then but his teeth were different, they were sharp and pointed and stained with something ferocious looking.

"Trust me," he purred. It was not as his voice normally sounded. It was somehow distorted to my ears, lower, more vicious. Nevertheless I took another step.

The wolf launched himself across the space between the vampire and myself, snarling and snapping as his fangs went for the jugular.

"_No_!" I screamed, wrenching upright and out of my bed. My iPod spilled out of my ears and clattered to the floor, making me grab my head and look around.

Raking my hands through my hair I noticed that I was fully dressed, my light still on, and my alarm clock blaring 8:47 AM. I groaned and fell back into my pillows, rolling over and trying to make myself comfortable: taking off my pants, toeing off my shoes that I had left on, then my socks. But there was no way that I could have gotten to sleep again.

My subconscious mind had brought the idea that I refused to believe right into the forefront of my mind. Now was the time to face them.

I sat up quickly and hopped out of bed, knowing that this would cause me to be exhausted as the day rolled on but gave me a surge of adrenaline for now. I knew what I had to do and I wouldn't enjoy it until I was sure of what it was I thought I knew. I made my bed to bide my time - something I never did it well. When I couldn't put it off any longer, I went to the desk and turned on the old computer with the ridiculous dial-up connection. It took so long that I got a bowl of cereal as I waited for it to connect.

When I was done, I turned to the computer growing more and more anxious. But not just scared-anxious. _Excited -_anxious. I may finally get answers - as whacked out and crazy as they seemed. And even if I was wrong, which was more likely than not, it may put me into the right direction.

I went to Google, the knowledge center of the world, and typed in the only lead I had:

_Vampire._

A Wikipedia page was the first to pop up, along with some Gothy youtube clips, a 'vampire name' generator, disturbingly accurate pictures to my dream, and pages that looked downright phoney. Obviously I went with the most logical choice: Wikipedia.

_**** **__Vampires__are __mythological__ or __folkloric__ beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are __undead__ or a living person. Although vampiric entities have been __recorded in many cultures__ and in spite of speculation by literary historian Brian Frost that the "belief in vampires and bloodsucking demons is as old as man himself", and may go back to "prehistoric times",__[7]__ the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into __Western Europe__ from areas where vampire legends were frequent... _

I shook my head, that was not exactly what I wanted to hear about them. I went back and searched through the Google pages until I saw a website about _all _mythological creatures - with a specifically long section on vampires. I skimmed the words lightly, trying to take all of them in.

_Reanimated corpse..._

_Sucks blood..._

_Impaled...burned..._

_Selling his soul..._

_Eternal life..._

_Rabies symptoms..._

I was shivering, I could feel it. I scrolled down, looking at the 'vampire characteristics'.

_Vampires have pale skin, from their inability to stand in light and lack of circulation and blood flow. Their apparent lack of souls cause them to be incapable of casting a reflection in mirrors and to grow fangs to drink the blood of the living. They are said to look like very normal human beings save their uncanny charm and attraction to help with their ability to gain the trust of men and women to feed. They have super sensitive senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. Also, to be supernaturally strong and quick. Throughout history some have been able to fly, bend people's will, possess, and also shape shift into smaller, cannibalistic creatures such as bats, wolves, and crows. _

Below that was a list of vampires throughout history, literature, and global recognition. The largest section, of course, was under Dracula's name and it gave me a crazy idea. I quickly popped the chair out from under me and scrambled to my bedside table, grabbing my phone and dialing.

"_I seriously hope you're paying these long distance charges, hard-head_." Arie's voice was instantly soothing, even with it's underlying taunt. She must have heard my sigh of relief cause she was instantly on my back. "_What is it? What's wrong?_"

"I'm having a bit of an issue, I wonder if you could help me out..."

"_What? Is it that Edmund again?_"

_"_Edward_._" I corrected immediately. She took that as a confirmation.

_"I swear to God, that kid is going to get his face punched in - beautiful or not - and don't even _try _to stop me if I get all the way down there and he's sweet talked you again, because Vivi you are so much better than that! Who does this jerk think he is playing around with your heart like that? Oh and don't tell me that's not what he's doing. I know you like the back of my hand and he is-_" I winced, holding the phone away from me as she went on her angry rant. These usually lasted anywhere from five minutes to five days, but I decidedly cut her off early.

"No, no, no. Nothing about him being a...jerk." I winced. "It's help with a..._uhm_...project?"

"_You know, you're the worst liar on the planet._"

"I know." I sighed. "Want to help me or not?"

"_Want to tell me what it's for?_"

"Nope, not really."

"_Are you..._" She gasped. "_Are you keeping secrets from me?_"

"No, not secrets exactly." I sighed. "I just don't want to sound stupid?"

"_You always sound stupid._"

"Point proven." I laughed. "Now you know why I don't want to admit it. Now, you gunna help me or not?"

"_Want to tell me what it's for?_"

"I already told you no. And if you keep asking, I'll hang up."

"_Alright, alright, can't blame a girl for trying. Well, what's up chickadee?" _To describe the level of relief I felt even with her saying she would help me -so blindly - was impossible. I instantly felt relieved, calm, and like everything was going to be okay, whether my facts were right or not.

"I'm doing a project-" she snorted and I heard her repeat the word sarcastically, "-on Vampires."

"_Oh, Vampires! My favourite!" _I smiled wryly.

"I know. Why do you think I had to call you? You _are _the expert."

"_Okay...well, what do you want to know?_" She sounded like she was getting herself comfortable, ready to give me a University style lecture on her own specialty. Little did she know that I, possibly, knew more than her.

"Everything." I could imagine her eyes narrowing as her voice grew suspicious as she began to question my motives.

"_Why is this important? Really. You like gore movies but you're more of...a Shakespeare or a Jodi Piccolt fan. Why do you want to know about the good ol' Legends?_"

"We agreed no more questions." I said harshly. "So. Start explaining."

"_Alright, well, do you want to know like...Anne Rice vampires or vampire lore? Or are you into the new vampire genre? Those RPG games and the like? Cause I've heard that 'Vampire the Masquerade' game is fun and all that._"

"Just in general. Start with the lore. You don't mind if I make notes and quote you, right?" I asked, which kind of strengthened my lie about it being for class. She hummed that she didn't mind and I took out a sheet of paper and pen.

"_Alright. So. Vampire lore - technically legends of vampires started all throughout the world at different times. That's why a lot of people think they're real. I mean, they were real in Africa and Poland and China at the same time? No one would have spread that around. Anyway, no one really knows how they began being vampires - there are so many different ideas. A lot of people like going for the whole 'sold their soul to Satan for extra time' and then they turned into demons. Some people say that it was something to do with Jesus. Some say that it was like Maya - she slaughtered and drank the blood of a whole bunch of babies for immortality, but then she got the side effects of having to maintain the blood lust, you know? It's pretty cool. I think that's the earliest one. About Maya and Hellewise, they were witches. Maya turned Vamp._"

I tried taking my notes as quickly as I could. The slaughtering of babies definitely made it there. I tried not to wince as I thought about whether or not that was what someone had to do to actually become one...then I just hoped that I was insane for even considering it all.

"What _is _a vampire?" I asked her.

"_There are different types depending on the cultures. Throughout history most people thought that anything demonic that drank blood was a vampire, but there were other cultures who thought that any creatures known to steal any kind of life force - energy, blood, souls, spinal fluid, anything - were vamps too. They were said to be unable to be in holy places, touch wood or silver, be allergic to garlic, burst into ash in the sunlight, couldn't enter a home uninvited and have cool fangs so that they could kill someone easier. Some people thought they had cool powers like reading minds, mind control, illusions - just so that they could get their food easier._"

"Were their ever people they couldn't control?"

"_In history it was said a priest or man of God couldn't be, but if you go through literature...well, if you go through literature, nothing really counts._"

"What do you mean?"

"_I mean, everyone went down their own roads with it. Bram Stoker was the first one to really write about them and he made Dracula really traditional, right? Pale skin, fangs, black hair, really creepy eyes, and basically limitless power. People like Anne Rice - the vampire queen of literature - kept her vampires traditional, but didn't make them all powerful. They had all their weaknesses and such. Bram Stoker made Dracula out to be a monster and sex addict, but Anne Rice said that the vampires who hunted the Dracula way and stuff had just lived so long in the dark they forgot what human emotion was...well, except for some of them._"

"Do other people think that they _can _do stuff like that? Eat food? Be near garlic...walk in the daylight?"

"_Oh yeah, tons of them! They want to romanticize them, right, and how can you make a high school student the main character if she doesn't find her man at school? L. J. Smith, Kelley Armstrong, Christopher Pike, they all wrote like that too. Trying to find ways around the shitty fall backs of being a vamp - especially the sunlight one. It's amazing the crap people will write to get around that one._"

"But it's said that they _can _walk in the day?"

"_Oh yeah. Tons of people have figured out ways and reasons._" I bit my lip. That knowledge was actually the exact opposite of what I wanted to know. She continued over the phone.

"_I mean, Blade is a daywalker. But that's because he's a half vampire - how God damn stupid is that?_" Even I snorted rolling my eyes at the thought of it. A reanimated corpse bearing a child or giving semen that gave live chromosomes?

"That's really God damn stupid."

_"Yup. Worst idea I'd ever heard - Blade was the only one to pull it off and that's cause he was a slayer. Like Buffy and Anita. Oh - and that chick from Night World, she was half and half._"

"How many of these books do you _read_?"

"_All of them._" It seemed the simplest answer in the world and it actually made me smile. "_I don't know how you can't like vampires - they're possibly the coolest thing on the planet. Except for maybe werewolves._"

"You like the natural enemy of vampires?" I asked sceptically. I heard her smiling her words.

"_You _do _know something! Good. And yes, they're awesome! Who wouldn't want to turn into a giant beast. Besides, they're always so _hot_...so long as it's not old fashioned literature. Then they have to eat the intestines of their victims - and that's not cool._"

"Oh yeah. They're definitely sexy." I said sarcastically.

"_Hey, don't insult what you don't understand. Become oriented with the land of mythological hotties before you judge them, got it?_"

"Got it." I smiled, rolling onto my back so that my head hung upside down off the bed. I stared at the gray sky out my window with a sigh.

"_Anything else?_"

"Yeah." I muttered, now getting nervous. I swallowed the anxiety that was building at the bak of my throat. "What do they look like?"

"_Vamps? Oh, they always are described differently. I mean, other than the Nosferatu they are _always _beautiful. That's the biggest one. They're usually pale with really nice teeth and pretty fingernails, but they supposedly look just like they did before they died - because they _do _die to become one - only prettier. Some say they have black eyes, some say they have like animal eyes? Or eyes that reflect like an animal, anyway. Or they're blood red. Or they change colour._"

I shivered. Oh no. Of course. Because that's just what I needed to hear -the first thing I ever noticed about Edward Cullen. That he was pale, exceedingly beautiful, intoxicating, and of course that his eyes changed from black to golden on a whim.

"K. Cool." I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking on the phone. "How do you-you...y'know, become one?"

"_Again, one of the most debated arguments of all time._" She laughed. "_Most people go with the fact that a vampire has to drain the victim and then feed them vampire blood. When that happens they'll still die a human death, but wake up later as a vampire. But then Harris adds that they have to be buried underground _with _their sire - that's their maker - before they turn. Smith thinks that they stay this half dead person that can still walk in the daylight but is slowly dying until they feed and _then _they are a vampire. Always different._"

"So what you're saying is...in the end, no one knows anything?"

"_Not a thing._"

"Great." Because I did. I mean, I _think _I did. We talked for a little while longer, but after she called me out on being too distracted, I told her that I had a lot of things to think about for 'my conclusion' after everything she had told me and that now probably wasn't the best time to talk. I apologized for using her for her geeky knowledge and said my goodbyes - promising to call her later in the week, she preferred late at night for me because of our sleep patterns and the time difference.

I sat in my bed, watching the sun move across the sky, thinking much more quickly than the sun was taking to rise and set. I had a lot of things to mull over, thanks to what Arie had told me, and none of it seemed okay - nevertheless possible. I mean, the first hurdle was to decide if what Jacob said about the Cullen's could even be true.

Immediately my mind responded with a resounding negative. It was silly and morbid to entertain such ridiculous notions. But what, then? There was no rational explanation for everything that happened around Edward Cullen, the fact that he and I were both so miraculously alive. The skin, the speed, the strength, the eyes, and his beautiful, stubborn face.

But there was more. Things that I was registering slowly and that I would never have actually thought were signs - or symptoms? - until I talked to Arie. Like how they never ate, the disturbing grace that they moved with. And _him,_ his _voice. _He was more articulate than me - something I had always taken pride with - and his cadences and phrases were like romance novels and early 19th century mystery novels I was so often sticking my nose into. He had skipped blood typing...coincidence? He had not refused my invitation to the beach until he found out where we were going. He said he was a _villain. _And he seemed to know what everyone around him was thinking...except for me. Was that why he was so frustrated? Those looks, that hatred...

Could the Cullens be vampires?

They were something, there was no doubt in my mind about that. Something outside the possibility of rational justification and it was all circling around this tiny town where nothing ever happened - but did it? Behind closed doors, under the shade of the trees? Whether it be the _cold ones _or something else supernatural, it was very clear they were super-human. Something more.

So then...maybe. That would be my answer for now.

Now the next question: what am I going to do if I'm right? If they are 'something more'. Well, I wasn't going to go and tell on them. That wasn't the kind of thing I did. Besides how would doing that benefit me? What did that knowledge of it do to benefit me? The answer was nothing. Nothing would benefit me unless I wanted a nice quick trip to a warm, padded cell.

It seemed I had two options: one I could take his advice and avoid him. Stay away from him and pretend like I knew nothing, stay quiet as if it was nothing, and keep myself 'safe'. I would cancel our plans and go back to ignoring him and staying as far away from him as we both could do. I could tell him to leave me alone - and I would mean it this time...

No I wouldn't. I could barely even _think _it. It caused a sudden gurgle of agony and despair as I considered it, but my mind quickly rejected it - I knew that wasn't my path anyway.

Then, there was the more likely option. I could change nothing. Nothing would be different because even if he was something more sinister, he had yet to hurt me. I would just be a scrape of paint on Tyler's fender had he not saved the day so quickly. So quickly? I thought again. I bet those were sheer reflexes. But if it was his reflex to save lives, how bad could he be?

There was one thing I was sure of: the dark Edward in my dream was just a reflexion of what Jacob had told me, not of Edward himself. Even so, when I'd screamed out towards the werewolf, it wasn't for fear of the wolf as surprising as it was, but the man who was being attacked. Even as he called out with sharpened fangs, I feared for _him._

Which brought a whole new question. Would I be this calm if it was anyone else other than Edward Cullen? There was something about this boy that I was totally infatuated with, intoxicated, enthralled. The severity of the feelings I had for Edward were more terrifying than the dream itself and no secret that I knew or _thought _I knew, could possibly change that. Because even as I thought of him, his voice, his hypnotic eyes, the magnetic force of his personality and how they could all be part of a hunters baiting, I still wanted nothing more than to take it. I wanted nothing more than to be with him right now.

I stayed in my room and worked on my paper, though it didn't go that well. Macbeth wasn't easy to write about when you had vampires on the brain - so I settled with writing more about the witches, at least that was in a similar category. And so my day was quiet, mildly productive; finishing my paper by eight and making a large dinner with the large catch dad came home with. I made a mental note to buy a new cookbook with lots of fish in Seattle next week, but that started the shivers and rivers of thoughts again.

I slept dreamlessly that night, exhausted from so much thought, concentration, and boredom. When I woke, it was to the second day of light I had seen since my arrival in Forks. I skipped over to the window, stunned to see that today there wasn't even a cloud in the sky. I was surprised when I opened the window - surprisingly it opened silently and without sticking, not having opened in how many years - and sucked in the relatively dry air. It was nearly warm and hardly windy, it was like a match to the fuel in my veins.

Charlie was finishing breakfast when I walked downstairs and he instantly picked up on my mood.

"Nice day out," he commented lightly, trying not to smile because of my grin.

"Gorgeous," I agreed.

He let the smile loose on me, his brown eyes crinkling around the edges. When Charlie smiled, it was easier to see why he and my mother had jumped too quickly into an earlier marriage. Most of the young romantic he'd been in those days had been gone before I had known him. So had his hair - same texture and close to the same colour as mine, but his had been curly and I had never been so lucky to have the ringlets he once had. But when he smiled, I could see a little of the man who had run away with Sarah Norberry when she was only a year older than I was.

I ate breakfast quickly and cheerily, got ready in three minutes and contemplated walking to school in this beautiful weather. The only reason I could think of not to was that I would be late - I should have gotten up an hour and a half earlier.

I did take an extra two or three minutes just to roll down the windows in the truck - I was sure my arms would regret it later. I was still one of the first to get to school and didn't delay in going towards a picnic table on the south side of the cafeteria. The benches were still a little damp from the rain that night, but I searched for a dry spot and sat down attentively on it. With my homework done, I decided it best that I take my backpack and shove it under my back as I laid on the top of the picnic table, sun tanning happily. I heard other people say my name and smiled and waved in the air, never knowing exactly where they were because I couldn't open my eyes.

"Hey Viv!" Mike called. I recognized his voice automatically and felt the picnic table move under his weight. He was sitting right close to my face and I had to concentrate very hard not to make a face at his closeness to me. He better not have any Snow White or Sleeping Beauty type thoughts...

"Hey Mike," I waved lightly towards where I felt him sit and he laughed.

"Hey," he said after a minute. "I never noticed before - your hair has red in it." he commented, I felt a light tug on my hair and decided now was the time to sit up. I was not comfortable with him touching my hair. I watched uneasily as he let it comb out in his fingers while I got up.

"Only in the sun." I said curtly, trying to make it clear he was ruining my good mood.

"Great day, isn't it?"

"It's definitely my kind of day." I agreed.

"What did you do yesterday?" He asked, his tone was a bit too proprietary.

"I worked on my essay," no need to tell him I had finished it. I knew he'd want to copy. "Talked to my best friend back in Phoenix, hung out on the computer and stuff."

"Oh right, the essay!" He hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. "That's due Thursday, right?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's definitely Wednesday."

"Wednesday?" He groaned melodramatically. "That's not good...what are you writing yours on?"

"Shakespeare's use of the three witches as a metaphor for chaos, distruction, and death."

He looked at me like I had spoken in pig latin. "Did you have quotes?"

"Yup." He swallowed thickly.

"I guess I'll have to work on that tonight," he said, suddenly deflated. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go out." I clenched my teeth, quickly getting tired of this pattern.

"Oh."

"We could go to dinner or something...and I could work on it later." He beamed with high hopes and I took a deep breath, ready to cut the wick.

"Listen, Mike," I hope I didn't sound too rude. He was still a friend, even if it was an obnoxious one. "I'm going to be honest - that's a really bad idea."

His face blanked in confusion. "Why not?" My thoughts flickered over to Edward, and I wondered if that's where Mike's thoughts had travelled as well. I shook my head as if to tell him 'no, not him'.

"If you _ever _repeat this, I can assure you that I will feed your testicles to the nearest black bear and make you watch - Jessica would hate me and I like _her _too much to hurt her feelings."

He was bewildered, it obviously wasn't what he had considered. "Jessica?"

"Have you recently had a lobotomy? Yes. Jessica." I looked at him with astounded eyes - so he _was _blind. He honestly didn't notice? How is it possible he could pay attention to signals I wasn't giving him but miss the giant freight train that was Jessica's affection? I wanted to take his shoulders and shake him.

"Oh." Was all he said. I took the advantage of his confusion and rolled my eyes, announcing class would soon start. I was glad we walked in silence, he was very pensive the entire time and I hoped he wasn't thinking about me so much as Jessica. I hoped that I had lead him in the right direction and was happy when I saw that he didn't glance to me at all during English, but stared thoughtfully out the window for the entire hour.

When I saw Jess in Trig, she was bubbling with enthusiasm. She, Angela, and Lauren were going dress shopping in Port Angeles tonight for the dance this Saturday, and she wanted me to come even though I didn't need one. I was indecisive. It would be great to get out of town with some girlfriends - and I hated shopping _unless _it was for shoes and formal dresses - but Lauren would be there. And who knew what I could accomplish tonight on my thinking path...But that was definitely the wrong path to let my mind wander down. Of course I was happy about the sunlight. But that wasn't completely responsible for my mood - not even close.

So I gave her a maybe, saying that I would have to talk to Charlie. She seemed to accept the reasoning. I think it was just because she couldn't stop talking about the dance even through Spanish. When it ended, five minutes late, and we were on our way to lunch, I started to get lost in my own selfish thoughts - I was eager to see not just him, but all the Cullens. I wanted to compare them with the new suspicions that plagued my mind.

As I crossed into the cafeteria, I felt the first tingle of fear in my stomach. Would they be able to know what I was thinking? What if Edward could read my thoughts but since they were usually in French, he just couldn't understand what I was saying - save that random word or thought in English that I let slide in my brain? Or worse - would Edward be waiting to sit with me today?

As was my routine, I glanced first at the Cullens table and felt that shiver of panic again when I realized that it was empty. With dwindling hope, my eyes raked the cafeteria for _him_, hoping he was waiting for me. I was let down. The place was nearly filled beause of our late release from Spanish, but none of the Cullens were in school.

I trudged along behind Jessica - not able to pretend to listen anymore. I sat by Angela, instead of by Mike, and he didn't seem to mind. I hoped this was a good start. He even held the chair out for Jessica as she came to sit down - she looked like I would expect her to on Christmas.

Angela asked me a few questions about the Macbeth paper, which I answered as naturally while I could while I tried to pull myself out of my misery. Today was the day of Vitamin D, I should not let his absence get me down, but something was pulling at the corner of my mind - something I couldn't understand.

It didn't hit me even when the disappointment did thanks to the lack of _him _in Biology. I didn't pay attention for the rest of the class and realized that suddenly, nothing in it made as much sense. Mr. Banner was speaking in English to me, which was like someone speaking in Latin to someone else - you know it's the origin of words you were taught, but you can't make the sentences work.

I realized it in Gym as I was learning how to serve in badminton. It was the word that had been scratching the corner of my brain until I wasn't thinking about it - I really needed my focus for sports - and then it hit me.

_Daywalkers. _

Daywalkers need days to walk in daylight. Daylight being sun. Sunlight was really what let us know when it was day time, wasn't it? And now, surprisingly, they were gone?

I was in such shock that I accidentally hit the birdie right into the back of someone's head. I tried to say my apologies, but I was just taken off the team for a bit...I didn't mind.

The plans to go to Port Angeles were cancelled as soon as I had gotten home. I tried to be glad that Mike had asked Jessica out to dinner - thank God he was catching on - but now I was left without distractions until tomorrow night, where I said I would go because Lauren, apparently, was on her way to Port Angeles that night anyway.

I spent a full half hour on homework and when that was completed, checked my email. There were tons of them from my mother and Katie, one from Shawn that had more numbers than letters, and one from Jenn talking about her latest crazy night. An e-card came from Arie that was about her hopes of my lost virginity with a special side note - _Edward is a pansy. No women for you unless it's me._

It worked to cheer me up, yet again.

I decided to kill an hour by reading some of my own non-school related books. I placed a quilt on the damp grass, smiling as I grabbed a book and faced the shadowy trees, making sure that I was facing the sun. I crossed my feet in the air, reading Tess of the D'Ubervilles for the third time. I knew it was a twelfth year reading novel, but I had been reading it for too long and found it hard to put down once I started. I was always disgusted by the manipulative love triangle between the three leads: Tess, Angel, and Alec. It was clear that Angel was the right choice for her, but he was just as cruel after hearing about her 'relationship' with Alec. And Alec was so manipulative, all he wanted to do was mantle her - it was an upsettingly wonderful story.

I pulled my hair up, making sure it was out of my face as I crossed and uncrossed my ankles in the air. Every now and then I looked up to see the sparkle that nearly blinded me and smiled at the sun, wondering how it could almost twinkle in my peripheral. I focused on the heat touching my cheeks and eyelids, my cheekbones, my skin...

And then I was waking up, it was the sound of Charlie's cruiser turning onto the driveway that alerted me. I realized the light was gone behind the trees and I had fallen asleep with Tess of the D'Ubervilles in my hand. I looked around in a daze, trying to get up and being so dizzy that I nearly keeled back over - I was still half asleep but had the feeling that I wasn't alone...oh yes, Charlie, I thought tiredly.

"Je suis fatigué," I groaned. "Je ne rêve même pas!"

I called his name but I could hear his door slamming in front of the house. I jumped up shakily groaning out some more French as I leaned down to grab the quilt. I stifled a yawn as I went into the house. He was hanging up his gun belt and stepping out of his boots.

"Hey Dad, dinner isn't ready yet - I fell asleep outside." I stifled another yawn.

"Don't worry about it." He smirked, thinking my exhaustion was somehow amusing. "I wanted to catch the score on the game, anyway."

During dinner, he had tried to make conversation with me.

"You got darker in just one day," he noted. "You really are part Quileute. You're darker than your Mom." I wasn't. Not at all, but I nodded and stuffed my face more, trying to ignore the awkwardness that followed all of our conversations.

I watched TV with Charlie after dinner, for something to do. There wasn't anything on I wanted to watch, but he knew I didn't like baseball, so he turned it to some mindless sitcom that neither of us enjoyed. He seemed happy though, that we were doing something together. I had to remember to do something simple as this more often if he liked it so much. And it felt good, despite my slum of the day, to make him feel happy.

"Dad," I started during a commercial. "Jess and Angela are going to look at dresses for the dance tomorrow night in Port Angeles, and they wanted me to help them choose...do you mind if I go with them?"

"Jessica Stanley?" he asked.

"Yeah, and Angela Weber. Nice girls, don't worry." He looked confused.

"But you're not going to the dance, are you?"

"No, Dad, but I am helping _them _find dresses - you know, giving them constructive criticism." I blushed lightly. "You know how I am with dresses."

"So you _will _buy one." He laughed loudly. I pouted.

"No. I will refrain, however, I might go..."

"If you try it on, you know you'll buy it."

"Then I won't try them on! Jeeze, why is this so difficult? Must the teasing continue?" He tried to stop laughing, so he just nodded.

"Well, okay." He became stern quickly. "It's a school night, though."

"We'll leave right after school, so we get back early. Will you be okay without your personal gourmet chef?" I teased, an eyebrow raised.

"Livi, I fed myself for seventeen years before you got here." he reminded me. I was secretly amazed that our conversation had lasted so long, I decided that I should probably end it soon, before he realized as well and it became awkward.

"No clue how you made it." I stated. "Well, I'll leave some things for cold-cut sandwiches in the fridge, okay? Right on top. Some good stuff." He grunted his approval and I felt proud of myself, not feeling guilty when I decided to retire early for bed.

I could not hide my disappointment from myself when I woke up and saw the sun through my window again. I dared to dress in a short sleeve shirt today, it was a dark blue fancier top. I decided to try dressing up to drive away the depression of the sunlight - it used to work in Phoenix, but something told me it wouldn't hold when I got to school. I did feel prettier, even if I had some bags under my eyes which made them look all the more dark. I took the time to make sure my hair was perfectly parted and completely straight. I even paired my nice black leather jacket with it, something I hadn't dared to drag out. It would draw some extra attention, but it made me feel confident and pretty, without the help of Edward Cullen's charm.

Out of one more cling to desperation, I circled the parking lot looking for the shiny silver Volvo, but it was nowhere in sight. The last of my hope depleted, I grabbed a spot and cursed as I ran to class, nearly late and breathless.

Jessica made it clear that the Port Angeles scheme was back on for that night and made sure to walk everywhere with me that day. Apparently my newfound fashion sense was getting the right kind of attention for her to stick around - I was both flattered and annoyed by it. I decided that I would go to Port Angeles just for the chance to escape this suffocating, little town with Angela and Jess - not Lauren. Sadly, she had other obligations and had gotten her dress the night before. I tried to sound empathetic when I was told.

I vowed to myself that I would be in a good mood tonight and not ruin Angela's or Jessica's enjoyment in the dress hunting, I even told them that I would help them out since I was a pro shopper, with a specialty in formal wear. Not that I liked shopping for anything else. I thought that maybe if I found a dress I would even buy it, dance or no. And if I just happened to find a nice outfit for Seattle, so be it.

After school, Jessica followed me home in her old, white Mercury so that I could ditch my books and my truck. I quickly brushed through my hair and threw myself a small smile in the mirror, trying to make myself seem less robotic. I was out for a night with the girls, even if I wanted him to be: this was no place for Edward Cullen. Not in body, or mind.

With that thought implanted, it was easy to feel a slight lift of excitement as I contemplated the idea of once again ditching Forks. I left a note for Charlie on the table, explaining again where to find dinner, switched my scruffy wallet from my school bag to a purse I had barely used since the move, and ran out to join Jessica. We went to Angela's house next and she was waiting for us outside on her porch, an excitement on her face that I hadn't seen before. It helped my excitement increase and my relief doubled exponentially as we actually drove out of the town limits.

* * *

**** = This was copied exact from Wikipedia and I do not take credit for it's knowledge.**

**So, what did you think? Hopefully you caught some of my little jokes or references to other novels and hopefully you're really starting to notice the differences between Vivienne and Bella. Whom I hate. I mean...I love Twilight!**

**As for my wonderful reviewers:**

_Angel of the Night Watchers**: **_**who is a constant reviewer and one of my most loyal readers. You are so awesome and you have no idea how happy it makes me to read your comments every time I update. Honestly, you really keep me going.**

_Ra'iira The Fiend_**: I totally agree with you. I'm a Bella-Basher, I won't deny which is precisely why I'm making this story. Just to remind people that she has no personality even by comparison. Hopefully I'm doing it justice. Thank you for your review :)**

_**Please Review, guys!**_

**-Egypt**


	9. Port Angeles

**Hello everyone, I'm here with a TRIPLE UPDATE! All three stories, all with lots of suspense! This one is the one that everyone loved in the books - Edward saves the day: Part Two! So, I won't say too much here because I obviously do not want to hold you back from reading it, but I do need to send out a special thank you to my new Beta **_Angel of the Night Watchers _**who was so quick to help edit this! Thank you so much!**

**S.M. owns this original story. And my soul. I still own the changes :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Jessica drove faster than Charlie so we ended up making it down to Port Angeles by four. It was a relief to be out for a girls night, which I hadn't had since three days before I had left Phoenix with Arie, Jenn, Bianca, and Leslie. The estrogen rush was surprisingly invigorating and I couldn't hide my smile or my excitement. Angela seemed to notice and beamed with me.

In true girl-time tradition, we listened to whiny rock songs, Jessica jabbered on about the boys we hung out with, about the best and worse chick flicks we had seen, and then defending the fact we had even seen them. Jessica went into pinpoint detail about her dinner with Mike so we could analyze and over analyze it. It seemed to have gone well, and she said that she was hoping that on Saturday night they will have progressed to the first-kiss stage. I smiled to myself, glad I had been so rough with him. Angela was passively excited for the dance itself, even less excited to be going with Eric. Jess tried to get her to confess who her type was, or more specifically who she wanted to base her type on, but I interrupted with a question about which style of dresses they were looking for, and which would look best with their body types. Angela gave me a grateful nod. It seemed like a bond-building move.

Port Angeles was a beautiful little tourist trap, much more polished and quaint than dingy little Forks. But Jessica and Angela knew it well, so they didn't plan on wasting time on the boardwalk or the strip. Instead, Jess drove straight to the big department store in town - the only department store in town - which was a few streets from the overdone tourist flare of the town.

The dance was considered semi-formal, and we weren't exactly sure what that meant. Both Jessica and Angela seemed completely aware and enthralled when I told them I used to go to dances all the time. They asked for details that I was more than happy to give and I even showed off some pictures on my cell phone of past dances. Both told me immediately that I got to choose which dresses would look best and hinted that I would have the final say.

"So, all those dances," Jess began with a suggestive eyebrow raised. "Did you always have a boy to go with or something? Boyfriend, maybe?"

"I've had a boyfriend or two," I admitted. "They fell a little too hard and I was more detached so I always ended it. I felt bad, but I tend to make a better friend than a girlfriend."

"Did you always stay friends?" Angela asked quietly, with big eyes. I wondered if there was secondary meaning to the question so I nodded.

"Yeah. I've never let any of them go and I've never pretended nothing happened. It didn't work out, so it didn't work out. But I missed their company anyway. I just don't..." I struggled for the right term, "you know..."

"Love them?" Angela suggested suspiciously. I blushed noticeably, the L-word was forbidden territory to me. I nodded.

"Yeah. That one." I shrugged. "I'm not really into having a boyfriend anymore."

"Why not?" Jessica demanded, disgusted by the thought that you could turn off something like that. I smiled a bit as we closed the car doors and started walking towards the doors.

"Because I have bigger things on my mind." I winked. "You know: meaning of life, life after death, trying to work out how to make a damned time machine out of a Delorean." I was glad that Angela giggled.

"So you're just going to ignore all the people who ask you out here?" Jessica asked sceptically.

"That's what I've been doing," I confirmed with a nod.

"Well, except for Tyler," Angela amended quietly. I glared at her, the first act of anger towards the girl.

"Pardon me?"

"Tyler told everyone that he's talking you to the prom." Jessica informed with with wary eyes and her ear awkwardly turned in my direction as we walked through the Junior section towards the dresses.

"He said _what_?" I asked through gritted teeth. "He said he wants me to kick his butt?"

"I told you it wasn't true," Angela murmured to Jessica as we reached the dresses. They started to paw through them. Jessica nodded and looked to me with a giggle.

"That's why Lauren doesn't like you." I exhaled in anger, trying to keep myself calm - in doing this I tripped over my own shoe.

"Lauren can have him - I'll gift wrap him specifically for the occasion." I sneered. "Alright, so if I were to run him over with my truck do you think he'd stop feeling guilty? Then we can call it even and I will be forced to do less permanent damage."

"Sure," Jess snickered. "If that's why he's doing this."

The dress selection wasn't large but we all found something to try on, even myself. I helped them pick out the best dresses for them, and told them that no matter what those would be the best for their body so _they _had the final pick in their own dresses.

I put Jessica into a room with a long, strapless, black number that was sleek and showed off all of her curves. It was made of a cotton and polyester mix - this shop wasn't the best quality - that would hide many of her awkward bumps from being a little more plump, she had agreed. The other dress was electric blue, knee length and pencil skirted with spaghetti straps that seemed to show even _more _cleavage. I personally thought she should go with the blue. It would be harder to match, but would help her eyes pop. I explained that silver shoes would match, and it would be all about the simple silver accessories that wouldn't draw attention from the dress itself, or what it brought out in her eyes.

Angela wasn't comfortable enough to go with the lavender knee length dress that I had picked out with a tighter bodice and faux corset back. Instead, she went with a pale pink, full length gown that fit her thin, but tall, frame well and brought out her natural honey highlights.

I looked at myself in a bright yellow dress with blue accents that was far too tight and small to be worn in public, before whipping that off and showing off a red, salsa-styled dress. Very cheap and simple, something I would have worn to school in Phoenix during a day we would have a dance class - but not here in Forks. This wouldn't be promiscuous, but rather something someone would wear to the semi formal and still look too dolled up. Had it been any less than $47, I would have thought about it - but I already had the skirt of it in four other colors.

We headed over to the accessories and shoes, while they tried on things I made sure not to let myself look around. I liked shoes too much to even examine the selection. When I told them this they laughed at me, but seemed to believe me as they made sure to keep my attention away from the displays. I think I may have been too fancy and random a dresser for this little place - one minute renegade artist, next minute salsa dancer on break, then back to boring high school student. The higher fashion I was used to made me think of the Cullens - and I knew that my girls-night vibe was ruined.

"Angela?" I bit my lip as Jessica headed for the jewelry, and Angela tried on a pair of strappy pink heels - they would look horrible with the dress because they were two completely different colors of pink, but I knew she was still on a high that she had found someone tall enough to wear heels with.

"Yes?" She held her leg out and twisted it to get a better view of the shoe.

"Those are pink." I chickened out. She looked at me and nodded.

"I think I'll get them - though it will be hard to match them with anything else." I tried not to say that they wouldn't match with that dress, either.

"Go ahead - they're on sale," I noted. She smiled and put the lid back on the box that contained more practical, white shoes. "So, Angela," I tried again. "Is it normal for the...Cullens," I kept my eyes on my shoes, "to be out of school a lot?"

Smooth, Liv, _smooth._

"Yes, when the weather is good they go backpacking all the time - even the doctor. They're all real outdoorsy." She was examining her shoes too. I was glad to have someone like her who didn't bombard me with questions and poke at my curiosity like Jessica would have. I was really beginning to like her. She understood personal space and privacy.

"Oh." It was the best I could come up with and I was glad I hadn't started to say anything else because Jessica returned to show the silver jewelry that she had found to match the silver shoes - having gone with the blue dress.

We planned to go to dinner at a little Italian restaurant on the boardwalk, but the dress shopping hadn't taken as long as we'd expected. Jess and Angela were going to take their clothes to the car, and then take a walk down to the bay. I told them that I would meet them at the restaurant in an hour. I wanted to look for a bookstore. They were both willing to come with me, but I told them that it was okay, I had a good sense of direction - they caught the lie.

I explained with sincerity that they didn't understand how absorbed I could get when I was surrounded by books, and gave them a quiet example of the sounds I made when I got excited around them. I explained that because of this, it was something I liked to do alone. They walked off to the car, chattering happily, and I headed in the direction that Jess had pointed me.

It wasn't hard to find the bookstore, but it wasn't what I was looking for. The windows were full of crystals and dream-catchers, which looked fascinating, but I wasn't looking for spirituality books. I didn't even go inside. I wasn't going to fool myself - I was on the hunt for a good vampire novel. There had to be a more diverse bookstore in town somewhere, and since the town wasn't big, I was sure I could find it with time to spare.

I scuttled my way down the street, listening to my iPod that I never left the house without, and cradling my jacket over my two arms, still glad to be soaking up the last of the Vitamin D. I hoped I was headed towards downtown, and was trying to follow the flow of traffic that was starting to fill the streets now that it was rush hour, while wrestling with my thoughts. It was much harder when I was alone with my thoughts to keep them about things _besides _Edward. I was trying, unsuccessfully, to beat down my hopes for Saturday, fearing a disappointment more painful than the rest, when I looked up to see someone's silver Volvo parked along the street - it all came crushing down on me. I stopped and looked at the Volvo angrily, trying to glare through the tinted windows. In spite, I switched my iPod to the Smashing Pumpkin's _Bullet With Butterfly Wings_ and relished in singing it quietly to myself as I kept walking. Since the first line was 'the world is a vampire' I felt comfortable enough to walk past the car, knowing that I had not built up any immunities with my bitterness.

I stomped along in the southerly direction, toward some glass-fronted shops that looked promising, but when I got to them it was only a repair shop and a vacant space. I still had too much time to go looking for Angela and Jessica, and I had no idea where the bay was or how long it was. Besides - I needed to get my mood under control before I met up with them. I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair few times and took deep breaths before I continued around a corner - tripping on the lip of the sidewalk on the way. I glared at it as I walked away, only to trip again.

I started to realize that I was going in the wrong direction. The little foot traffic that had been going north, where I seemed to have drifted from, had disappeared and it looked like I was in the warehouse area. I decided to turn east at the next corner, and then loop around after a few blocks and try my luck on a different street on my way back to the boardwalk.

A group of four men turned around the corner I was headed for, dressed too casually to be headed home from the office, but too grimy to be tourists. I assumed they worked in the warehouses that currently surrounded me. They weren't too many years older than I was and were joking to themselves, laughing far too loud - as if purposely to pull my attention. I scooted to the inside of the sidewalk to let them pass, walking swiftly, and suddenly very nervous by how much time I had put into making myself look good. I'd just _had _to draw attention to myself today.

"Hey there!" one of them called as they passed. Since no one was around, they were obviously talking to me. I found myself glancing up and smiling politely, but that smile fell when they slowed around me. The closest, a heavy set, dark haired man in his early twenties seemed to be the speaker. He was wearing a flannel shirt over a dirt covered t-shirt, cut off jeans, and sandals. It was drab wear in far too cold of weather. I was suddenly very aware of my bare arms when I saw him glancing at them.

"Hello," I mumbled, just to make it clear that I could be loud if I had to be. I looked away, walking closer towards the corner. I could hear them laughing again at full volume behind me.

"Hey, wait!" one called from behind me, but I kept my head down on my feet and rounded the corner with a sigh of relief. The chortling behind me did not end, but I was glad to be alone.

I found myself on a sidewalk leading past the backs of several somber colored warehouses, each with large bay doors for unloading trucks padlocked for the night. The south side of the street had no sidewalk, only a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire protecting some kind of engine parts. I briefly wondered if they would have a cylinder for Jacob's Rabbit. I couldn't remember what year it was...'84 or '86?

It was clear that I was out of the tourist trap of Port Angeles and into the thick of the town. It was getting dark, the clouds returning and piling up on the western horizon, making the sunset come early. The graying sky that was shot through with pink and orange gave me hope: maybe tomorrow those clouds would overtake the town, and I would get to see Edward. I put my jacket on from a sudden chill and crossed my arms tightly over my chest. A single van passed, then all was silent.

As the sky darkened further, I got more paranoid. This caused me to take out my iPod and shove it into my purse, the thin strap still around my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder to glare at the cloud creating a premature cold in the town, only to be surprised that two men were twenty feet behind me.

I knew automatically they were some of the boys that had passed me before, very clearly going in the opposite direction. Though neither were the dark haired one who had spoken to me, I could remember their faces, even if I couldn't remember names. I'd taken enough art classes to look for the detail in faces. I cursed myself silently, knowing that I hadn't put my pepper spray in my bag. In fact, I hadn't even unpacked it from my luggage - who needed it in Forks? But I wasn't in Forks, I was in Port Angeles.

I didn't have much money with me, just a twenty and some ones, and I thought about "accidentally" dropping my bag and walking away. But I had a small voice telling me that they may be something worse than thieves.

I listened intently to their footsteps, which were disturbingly quiet in comparison to when they were so boisterous before, but it didn't sound like they were speeding up or getting closer to me. Breathe, I had to remind myself. You've just watched too many Cold Cases and Police shows. I continued to walk away more quickly, just in case, keeping my focus on the right hand turn that was only a few yards away from me now. I could still hear them, staying as far back as they had been and tried to take some comfort in it, but I was in panic mode now. A blue car turned onto the street and drove quickly passed me. I contemplated jumping in front of it to get their attention, but knew I would screw it up and get hit.

I reached the corner, but a swift glance revealed that it was only a blind drive to the back of another building. I was half turned in anticipation; I had to hurriedly correct and dash across the narrow drive, back to the sidewalk. The street ended at the next corner, where there was a stop sign. I concentrated on the footsteps behind me again, deciding whether or not to run. They sounded farther back though, and I couldn't run to save my life - which I really hope wouldn't end up being a more ironic phrase. I was sure to trip and go sprawling if I tried to walk faster, and if I got any more worked up my mild asthma was sure to kick in - and I didn't have a puffer. I didn't need it most of the time, but in times where I'm panicking _and _speeding, remembering how to take deep breaths certainly quickened the process of calming me down.

The footfalls were quieter now, and I risked a quick glance over my shoulder. They were definitely farther back - forty feet now, I saw with relief. But they were both staring straight at me, not as soothing.

It seemed to take me forever to get to the corner. I kept my pace steady, the men behind me falling ever so slightly behind with each step. Maybe they realized that they had scared me and were backing off out of guilt. I saw two cars going north past the intersection I was headed for, and I exhaled in relief. There would be more people once I got off this deserted street. I was almost safe. I skipped around the corner with a grateful sigh - and skidded to a halt.

The street was lined on both sides by blank, doorless, windowless walls. I could see in the distance, two intersections down, streetlamps, cars, and more pedestrians, but they were all much too far away. Because lounging against the western building, midway down the street, were the other two men from the group, both watching with excited smiles as I froze dead on the sidewalk. I realized then that I had never been followed.

I had been herded.

I paused for only a second, but as I stared into the dark-haired man's eyes, it felt like an eternity. An eternity of understanding what they had planned for me. That I was supposed to become another cold case file, twenty years down the road. I would be someone's sick obsession to watch when they couldn't get to sleep at two in the morning and no one would care that I had ever really died in the first place besides a dispassionate "that's so sad".

I did what my instincts told me and damned my asthma. I bolted across the street, knowing that it was a wasted attempt. The footsteps behind me were now faster, louder, closer.

"There you are!" The dark-haired man boomed. It was almost piercing in the silence of the warehouses and it looked like he was looking past me because of the darkness.

"Yeah," a voice called loudly from behind me, making me jump again as I tried to hurry down the street. "We took a little detour."

My steps had to slow now. I was closing the distance between myself and the lounging pair too quickly. I tried to hide my little asthma attack by taking deeper breaths, but it got worse with each step I took. No direction was safe and I no longer had enough air to let out a decent scream to alert anyone who would hear - if they _could _hear.

The thickest man came to a stop and walked slowly down the street.

"Get away." I warned in a voice that was supposed to sound strong and fearless. But I was so breathless that it only sounded pathetic.

"Don't be like that, sugar," he purred, grabbing onto my jacket. I spun out of it, too proud of myself to realize how I had done it. The raucous laughter started again behind me. I braced myself in a wide stance like I had seen in the Karate Kid. I knew from Asher - a black belt - that a heel up and into the nose could break it or shove the cartilage in the brain, and I would totally get away with self defense against all charges. But was I even strong enough to hurt him? My arms were pretty flimsy and that was a lot of damage.

There was a finger through the eye socket, try to hook it in and pop the eye out. And the standard knee to groin, of course - always the fall back. Besides, from dance I knew that my legs were much stronger, so maybe I could just do some kicking - it kept me at a farther distance from them anyway and I was flexible enough to get in a good hit to the face. But how long would it take before one of them caught my leg and pushed me onto the ground? I tried to take a deep breath and failed, my asthma had kicked in full stop, now. I tried for another deep breath, readying myself to scream, or possibly a battle cry.

Headlights suddenly flew around the corner, the car almost hitting the stocky one, forcing him to jump back toward the sidewalk. I dove into the road - this car was going to stop or hit me, but right now both seemed great options. My knees were starting to go weak and I was lightheaded from a lack of oxygen going into it. The silver car unexpectedly fishtailed around, skidding to a stop with the passenger door open just a few feet from me.

"Get in." A furious voice commanded me. I had died. They had lynched me, and I had died because I _knew _that voice, but I also _knew _he couldn't be here to save the day this time. I was in Port Angeles, and he had no idea I was here. "Now!" He yelled. I jumped and fell into the seat with my dizziness, slamming the door shut behind me.

It was dark in the car, no light had come on with the opening of the door, and I could barely see his face from the glow of the dashboard, but it _was _him. I let in one of my shaky non-breaths as he squealed the tires around to face north, accelerating too quickly and swerving towards the men on the street. I caught a glimpse of them diving for the sidewalk as he straightened out and sped towards the harbor.

"Put on your seat belt," he commanded, and I realized I was clutching the seat with both hands. I was clutching it out of pain in my chest and fear by the speed. I found I couldn't obey because I had to close my eyes to focus on my lack of oxygen. I heard the belt move to my side and felt as it clicked around me, I looked over to him - already back in driving position as if he hadn't moved to put my seatbelt on me - and gratefully nodded to him. Though he wasn't looking at me, I knew he saw it.

He took a sharp left and blew through several stop signs without a pause. I felt utterly safe and, for the moment, totally unconcerned about where we were going. I stared at his face in profound relief, relief that was making it easier to breathe. Slowly. That was until my heart rate picked up from the murderously angry look gracing his beautiful features.

"Are you...okay?" I asked, a shuttering breath breaking the sentence.

"No." It was curt. Final. His tone was livid.

I sat in silence, not strong enough say more, but disappointed that my breathing was still so ragged. I watched his face, hoping that the memory of how it could look, which had always figuratively taken my breath away, would ironically bring it back. His blazing eyes stared straight ahead until we suddenly came to a stop, where he closed his eyes to compose himself. I glanced around, but I could see nothing. We were no longer in town.

"Vivienne?" his voice was tight and controlled.

"Mm?"

"Are you all right?" He still had his eyes closed, unable to look at me, but the fury was clear on his face.

"Fine."

"Liar." He hissed. "Your breathing is all off."

"I can't...help it." I closed my eyes too. "I didn't bring my...puffer."

"You're asthmatic?" This brought a bit more of a hysterical undertone to his words. I winced, keeping my eyes closed.

"A little," I admitted. "I just need...to breathe. It's really mild." He gave me the time I needed. I did exercise that I had taught Katie - since her asthma was much worse than mine. I barely needed to use them, so I needed to calm down and try remember to how I had taught them, so I could remember how to use them. After about a minute and a half, I was nearly okay.

"Are you all right?" He asked again.

"Yes." I said with certainty. Now that I had my breathing under control, I was sure I would be. But I would have to go home and use my puffer. It took away some of the side effects - like the pain that always stayed in my chest the next morning.

"Distract me, please," he ordered. I blinked.

"Pardon me?" He exhaled sharply.

"Just prattle bout something unimportant until I calm down," he clarified, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. I looked at him tentatively, afraid of where his anger was directed.

"I'm going to go buy a crowbar to give it as a gift to Tyler Crowley tomorrow - right in his face?" I asked it more than told him, but I saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

"Why?" He asked, trying hard not to smile. I considered it a victory.

"He's telling everyone that he's taking me to prom - either he's insane or he's still trying to make up for almost killing me last - well, you were kind of _there _so I'm sure you remember. So he apparently thinks that _prom _is somehow the correct way to do this. So I figure that if I endanger his life, then we're even. He can't keep trying to make amends. Maybe he won't even nail me for attempted homicide. I don't need enemies and maybe Lauren will get off my back. I might have to total the Sentra, though. If he doesn't have a ride he won't take anyone to prom...unless he gets a limo. Oh, God, he wouldn't show up with a limo would he?"

"I heard about that." He sounded a bit more composed. I was proud.

"_You _did?" I asked in disbelief. "How did _everyone _know but me? You know, I bet that if he were paralyzed from the neck down he would be too embarrassed to ask anyone to prom, too." I muttered, refining my plan.

Edward sighed and opened his eyes, glaring at the road in front of him.

"Better?" I asked cautiously.

"Not really." He murmured, leaning his head against the back of the seat and staring at the ceiling of the car. His face was rigid.

"What's wrong?" I asked carefully.

"Sometimes I have a problem with my temper, Vivienne." He was whispering and as he stared out the window, his eyes narrowed into slits. "But it _wouldn't _be helpful for me to turn around and hunt down those..." he could not think of an appropriate word. "At least," he continued. "That's what I'm trying to convince myself."

I tried not to argue with him, I _would _have liked to see him go Kung-Fu on their asses in my honor. I would have loved to see him fight them off and defend me, but he was right. He could do more serious damage than most people - even in movies. And it was weird to remember it. We sat in silence again. I glanced at the clock on the dashboard which glared an angry 6:42 at me.

"Jessica and Angela have been waiting for me - they're going to be worried." I whispered, afraid to break the silence of his musings.

He started the engine without another word, turning around smoothly and speeding back toward town. We were under the streetlights in no time at all, still going too fast, weaving with ease through all the cars that were cruising down the boardwalk. He parallel-parked against the curb in a place I had no way of imagining fitting into - Volvo or not - and he did it effortlessly in one try. Show off. I looked out the window to see the lights of La Bella Italia - Jess and Angela were at the door, headed out of it.

"How did you know where..." I began, but stopped myself. I didn't want to know right now. I heard the door open and saw him stepping out.

"What are you doing?" I asked him incredulously. I struggled with my seat belt, hell-bent on following him. He smiled at me as I opened the door to the car.

"I am taking you to dinner." He smiled slightly, reaching the sidewalk as I closed his door. He spoke before I could. "Go stop Jessica and Angela before I have to track them down, too. I don't think I could restrain myself if I ran into your other friends again."

I shivered at the threat in his voice. "Friends," I muttered darkly. "Jess! Angela!" I yelled after them, waving when they turned. They rushed back to me, the pronounced relief on their faces simultaneously changing to surprise when they saw who was standing next to me. They hesitated a few feet from us.

"Where have you been?" Jessica's voice was suspicious as she eyed Edward up and down.

"I got lost," I admitted sheepishly and leaving out the part about the guys out to get me added, "then I ran into Edward." I gestured towards him as if he were a prize on the Price is Right.

"Would it be all right if I joined you?" he asked in his most polite and irresistible voice. I could see from their staggered expressions that he had never unleashed his talents on them before.

"Er...sure," Jessica breathed.

"Um, actually, Liv, we already ate while we were waiting - sorry." Angela confessed guiltily. I shook my head instantly, feeling stupid.

"Oh. Of course, no, don't even worry. I wasn't that hungry anyway."

"I think you should eat something." Edward's voice was low but full of authority. He looked up at Jessica and spoke a bit louder. "Do you mind if I drive Liv home tonight? That way you won't have to wait while she eats."

"Uh..." she bit her lip, trying to figure out whether this was what I wanted or not. To make it very clear, I winked at her, to which she smiled slightly and nodded much more enthusiastically. "Okay. It's no problem."

"Okay." Angela smiled knowingly. "See you tomorrow, Liv...Edward." She grabbed Jessica's hand and pulled her towards her car, which I could see a bit farther away. I waved back at them as they drove away before I turned back to Edward.

"Honestly, I'm not hungry." I insisted, looking up to scrutinize his face. His expression was unreadable.

"Humor me." He said lowly, opening the door to the restaurant with an obstinate expression. There was no fighting with him tonight, and there was a part of me that really didn't want to. I walked past him into the restaurant with a melodramatic sigh.

The restaurant wasn't crowded - it was the off season in Port Angeles. The host was female and I understood the look in her eyes as she undressed Edward with them. It almost made _my _face heat up. She welcomed him with a little more warmth than needed and I was surprised by the flash of anger it brought out in me. Did that count as jealousy? I mean, he wasn't mine to oggle. He was meant for the _world _to oggle.

"Table for two?" His voice was alluring, whether he was going for that or not. I saw her eyes flicker to me and away, thinking instantly that I must not be competition. Which was funny, because I looked at her fake blonde hair and leathery skin and knew she was no better off than I. Edward kept between us as she led us to a table big enough for four in the center of the most crowded area of the dining floor.

"Perhaps something more private?" he insisted quietly to the host. She stole a glance at me again and looked to him. I didn't quite see, but I was sure that he had handed her a tip quietly where I could not see. I rolled my eyes.

"Sure." She sounded as surprised as I would have been were I not so cynical. She turned and led us around a partition to a small ring of booths - all empty. "How's this?"

"Perfect." He flashed his gleaming smile, dazing her momentarily.

"Um," she shook her head, blinking rapidly, "your server will be right out." She walked away somewhat unsteadily. I picked up a menu sourly.

"You know, that's not fair at _all_. You can't just do that to people."

"Do what?" He asked, looking up at me innocently through his lashes.

"Befuddle, no...dazzle people like that." I scorned, looking at my menu instead of him. "She's probably hyperventilating in the bathroom at this very moment." He seemed confused.

"Oh come on," I said dubiously. "You _have _to know the effect you have on people."

He tilted his head to the side, his eyes were curiously amused. "I dazzle people?"

My eyebrows shot up. "You haven't noticed? Do you think everyone gets their way with such little prodding?" but he ignored my questions, looking at me steadily.

"Do I dazzle _you_?"

"Frequently." I stated, not having the courage to look up at him. It was then that our server arrive, her face expectant. She had obviously been told about the tipping hottie who came in with the ordinary girl for a private seat. She didn't look disappointed in him. She flipped a strand of short, black hair behind one ear and smiled with unnecessary warmth.

"Hello. My name is Amber, and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?" I didn't miss that she was ignoring me, her attention and posture fully focused on Adonis.

He, however, did pay me attention.

"I'll have a Sprite."

"Two Sprites." he said to her, smiling at her lightly. She smiled back immediately.

"I'll be right back with that." She assured, before bustling off to get the drinks as he kept a firm gaze on me. I felt uncomfortable immediately.

"What?"

His eyes stayed on my face. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." I replied, surprised by his intensity.

"You don't feel dizzy, sick, cold...?"

"Should I?" I asked suspiciously. He chuckled.

"Well, I'm actually waiting for you to go into shock." His face twisted up into that perfect, crooked smile. I nodded, my eyes wandering around the restaurant as I let my thoughts run wild, looking for any trace of shock. Then I shrugged.

"Nope. I don't think that will happen." I said after I was done. "I've always been very good with repressing things."

"Not what I wanted to hear. Just the same, I'll feel better when you have some sugar and food in you." Right on cue, the waitress appeared with our drinks and a basket of breadsticks. She stood with her back to me as she placed them on the table.

"Are you ready to order?" Her voice was so nasal and she was obviously pushing it higher than she needed to. I rolled my eyes.

"Vivienne?" Edward looked past her and towards me. She turned unwillingly, so I searched my mind for what I had seen on the menu beforehand.

"Could I have the chicken pesto?"

"And you?" She turned around and regarded him with a smile. She hadn't written my order down or paid attention when I said it - I briefly wondered if it was what I would end up getting.

"Nothing for me," he said. I look at him darkly. Of course not.

"Let me know if you change your mind." The coy smile was still in lace, but he wasn't looking at her and she left dissatisfied.

"Drink," he ordered. I sipped at my soda obediently, not liking the carbonation tickling my nose on the first sip. Then, I started to drink more deeply as I realized how thirsty I actually was. I realized I had finished the whole thing only when he pushed his drink towards me as well.

"Merci." I nodded, still thirsty. The cold from the soda sent shivers through me when I started to slow down and clever Edward did not miss the action.

"Are you cold?"

"It's just the soda." I assured him, shivering as I took another sip.

"Don't you have a jacket?"

"I did-" I paused, shivering for a completely different reason. "Something tells me I won't be getting it back any time soon." Edward paused for a moment and I watched his hands ball themselves into fists for a moment, before he took a deep breath, and shrugged off his jacket. It was a dark brown leather jacket, he wore a well fitted white v-neck sweater under it. The white did nothing for his pale complexion. He handed me the jacket and interrupted my staring, which heated up my cheeks quickly. I mumbled another thank you as he gave it to me. I slipped my arms through the jacket and winced when I felt how cold it was - like when you put on the jacket you hadn't worn in days. But it would heat up quickly, I was always a little bit warmer than others. It smelt heavenly. I inhaled, trying to memorize the aroma - it wasn't cologne - it was _his _smell. The sleeves were much too long and I found I had to play with them before I could free my hands.

"That color blue looks wonderful with your skin." he told, watching me intently. I was surprised and flushed as I examined myself. I had forgotten how much time I had actually put into my wardrobe. Before I could even thank him, he pushed the bread basket towards me.

"Really," I began to assure. "I'm not going into shock."

"You should be - a _normal _person would be. You don't even look shaken." He seemed unsettled. He stared into my eyes, and I saw how light his eyes were, lighter than I had ever seen them - a beautiful golden honey.

"I feel safe with you, however much you tell me I'm wrong." I confessed, mesmerized into telling the truth again. He was his own truth serum. But my answer displeased him, his brow furrowed. He shook his head, frowning at me.

"This is more complicated than I'd planned," he murmured to himself. I picked up a breadstick and began to nibble on it, measuring his expression. I wondered if now would be a good time to start my interrogation.

"Usually you're in a better mood when your eyes are so light," I commented, trying to distract him from whatever thought had left him so melancholy. He looked up at me like I had just told him that Jesus was walking across the wine menu.

"What?"

"You're angrier when your eyes are black - so I expect you to be grumpy. It helps my theory."

His eyes narrowed. "More theories?"

"Mhm." I chewed on a small bite of my breadstick, trying to look innocent.

"I hope you were more creative this time...or are you still stealing from comic books?" His faint smile was mocking but I could tell that it was too tight to be completely taunting. He was nervous.

"No..." I muttered, insulted. "It's not from a comic book. But - well, I didn't quite come up with it all on my little lonesome." I confessed.

"And?" he prompted. But I was saved by the waitress as she strode in with my food. I realized we'd been subconsciously leaning forward towards each other from opposite sides of the table because we both straightened up as she approached. She set the dish in front of me - it smelled fantastic - and turned toward Edward.

"Did you change your mind?" she asked. "There isn't anything I can get you?" I narrowed my eyes at the double entendre.

"No, thank you, but some more soda would be nice." he gestured with a long white hand to the empty cups in front of me. She looked at me like I was a glutton.

"Sure." She sneered and removed the glasses, strutting back towards the kitchen.

"You were saying?" he asked. I bit my lip, looking down at my food and picking up a spoonful. I twirled it in front of me as I shrugged.

"I'll tell you about it in the car, if-"

"There are conditions?" He raised an eyebrow, his voice low and ominous.

"I do have a few questions, of course."

"Of course." The waitress was back with two more sodas. She sat them down without a word this time, and left again. I took a sip.

"Well, go ahead," he pushed, his voice still hard. I looked down at my food, not liking the edge to his voice, it made me uneasy. I started with the simplest, or so I thought.

"Why are you in Port Angeles?"

He looked down, folding his hands together on the table. His eyes flickering up to me from under his lashes. There was a slight smirk on his face as he simply said, "next."

"Wh-" I gawked at him. "But that's the easiest one!"

"Next," he repeated. I closed my eyes in frustration, knowing that if he had passed that question, most likely he would pass the rest of them. Then I wouldn't have my answers, and then there was no way in Hell I would tell him my theories. They started to sound more ridiculous the more I thought about them. I took a few spoonfuls of my chicken pesto, which was perfectly cooked, I thought.

"Fine then," I glared spitefully. "Let's say in a hypothetical world, with hypothetical people, in a hypothetical situation," he chuckled. "That someone...could know what people are thinking, read minds, you know - with a few exceptions."

"Just _one _exception," he corrected, "hypothetically."

"Alright, one exception, then." I was thrilled that he was playing along, but tried to make it seem casual. "How does that work? What are the limitations? How would y-that _someone_ find someone _else _at exactly the right time? How would he know that she was in trouble?" I wondered if my questions made sense because of how they were phrased.

"Hypothetically?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. I nodded. "Well, if...that someone..."

"Can we call him 'Hank'?" I asked. He smiled wryly at the name choice.

"Hank, then. If Hank had been paying attention, the timing wouldn't have needed to be quite so exact." He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Only _you _could get into trouble in a town this small. You would have devastated their crime rate statistics for a decade, you know."

"Hey now, we were speaking hypothetically." I reminded him coolly.

"Yes, we were," he laughed, his eyes warm. "Shall we call you 'Bella'?"

"How did you know?" I asked, unable to curb my intensity. I realized I was leaning forward again, but I could not pull myself back, not when I was so close to getting answers.

He seemed to be wavering, torn by some internal dilemma. His eyes were locked with mine, and I guessed he was making the decision right then whether or not to simply tell me the truth.

"You can trust me. I don't know why you don't by now." I murmured. I reached forward thoughtlessly to try and touch his folded hands, but he lightly slid them away. I bit my lip, bringing mine back to grab my fork, pushing food in my mouth to occupy myself.

"I don't know if I have a choice anymore." His voice was almost a whisper. "I was wrong - you are much more observant than I gave you credit for."

"I thought you were always right."

"I used to be." He shook his head again. "I was wrong about you on one other thing, as well. You're not a magnet for accidents - that's not a broad enough classification. You are a magnet for _trouble. _If there is anything dangerous within a ten-mile radius, it will inevitably find you."

"And you put yourself into that category?" I guessed. His face turned cold.

"Unequivocally." I damned my nerves and reached across the table for his hands again and even when he pulled away, I kept going until I was laying my hand on his. It was cold and hard, like stone against my hand but I squeezed it gently anyway.

"That's twice now. I'd say that I owe you, but..." I trailed off. "Thank you."

His face softened. "Let's not try for three, agreed?"

I scowled but nodded at the request. He moved his hand from under mine but leaned forward to compensate. He took a deep breath and I had to try very hard to pay attention to what he was saying.

"I followed you to Port Angeles." He admitted, speaking in a rush. "I've never tried to keep a specific person alive before, and it's much more troublesome than I would have believed. But that is probably just because it's you. Ordinary people seem to make it through the day without any catastrophes."

"Did you ever think that maybe my number was up the first time? You know, with the van? You're interfering with fate - Final Destination style?" I speculated, distracting myself.

"That wasn't the first time," he said. I stared at him in shock. "Your number was up the first time I met you." I felt a spasm at his words as the abrupt memory of his violent black eyes glaring at me.

"You remember?" his face was grave. I felt terrible for pulling it into such a terrible grimace.

"Yes."

"And yet, here you sit." There was a trace of disbelief in his voice.

"...Because of you." I paused. "Because somehow, you knew how to find me today..." I prompted. He pressed his lips together at my words, staring at me through narrowed eyes. He was deciding again. His eyes flashed to my plate, then back to me.

"You eat, I'll talk." He bargained. My fork was in my hand automatically, a piece of chicken in my mouth.

"It's harder than it should be - keeping track of you. Usually I can find someone very easily, once I've heard their mind before." He looked at me anxiously, and I realized I had frozen. I made myself swallow and then took another mouth full, trying to make it look like I was only surprised that he was telling me anything at all and not just because he was proving a theory right. "I was keeping tabs on Jessica, not carefully - like I said, only you could find trouble in Port Angeles - and at first, I didn't notice that you had taken off on your own. Then, when I realized you weren't with her anymore, I went looking for you at the bookstore I saw in her head. I could tell that you hadn't gone in, and that you had gone south...and I knew you would have turn around soon. So I was just waiting for you, randomly searching through the thoughts of people on the street - to see if anyone had noticed you so that I would know where you were. I had no reason to be worried...but I was strangely anxious..." He looked past me, seeing things in his own thoughts that I did not, or would not be able to comprehend.

"I started to drive in circles, still...listening. The sun was finally setting and I was about to get out and follow you on foot. And then -" he stopped, clenching his teeth together in fury. He made an effort to calm himself.

"Then what?" I asked, too involved to help myself. He continued to stare over my head, maybe now that he was conscious of the intensity of his eyes he wouldn't use them as often as a weapon.

"I heard what they were thinking," he growled, his upper lip curling slightly over his perfectly straight teeth. I saw no fangs and was relieved. "I saw your face in his mind." He suddenly leaned forward, one elbow appearing on the table, his hand covering his eyes. The movement was so swift that I hadn't seen the action itself, only the result. I widened my eyes slightly, realizing it was those reflexes that had saved me from Tyler's van.

"It was very...hard - you can't imagine how hard - for me to simply take you away, and leave them...alive." His voice was muffled by his arm now that he had dropped his head into it, probably hoping I couldn't hear or understand him. "I could have let you go with Jessica and Angela, but I was afraid if you left me alone I would go looking for them." He admitted in a whisper, that left me biting my lip. I sat quietly, not moving and not thinking - my thoughts didn't make sense, anyway. My hands were in my lap and I gently began to play with them out of anxiety.

Finally, he looked up, his eyes seeking mine, full of his own questions.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked.

"I'm ready to leave, if that's what you mean." I clarified, grateful that we had the hour-long ride home together. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to him. The waitress appeared as if she had been called, or watching.

"How are we doing?" she asked Edward.

"We're ready for the check, thank you." His voice was quiet, rougher, still reflecting the strain of our conversation. It seemed to muddle her. He looked up waiting, not as patient as before.

"S-sure," she stuttered. "Here you go." She pulled a small leather folder from her back apron and handed it to him. Had he not already had a bill in his hand, I would have insisted on paying myself since I was the one who ate. I lightly thought about how this was playing out like a twisted first date.

"No change." He smiled to her as he stood. I scrambled to my feet far less gracefully and he thanked her as she wished him a nice evening. I suppressed a smile.

He walked close beside me to the door, careful not to touch me as he always was. I remembered what Jessica had said about she and Mike - that they were nearly ready to have their first kiss. I sighed through my jealousy, and he seemed to hear me while he looked down curiously. I widened my eyes and looked down at the side walk, suddenly very glad that neither of us knew what the other was thinking.

He opened the passenger door, holding it for me as I stepped in and shut if softly behind me. I watched him walk around the front of the car, amazed by how boundlessly graceful he was. I'm sure normal people would have been used to it by now - but I wasn't. He was still such a novelty.

Once inside the car, he started the engine and turned the heater on high. It had gotten very cold and I guessed that the good weather was somewhat thankfully at an end. I was warm in his jacket, though, breathing in the scent of it when I thought he couldn't see.

Edward pulled out through the traffic, apparently without a glance, flipping around to head toward the freeway. "Now, it's your turn."

* * *

**He's starting to be cute! I always loved the "do I dazzle you?" comment when I read the book. What did you think? Man, I love how charming he is in the books. If only they were as successful in the movies. Damn.**

**To my wonderful reviewers:**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: Thank you so much for your review, nevertheless with the editing for this chapter. You are magnificent! Honestly, I think with the amount of reviews you give I will start leaving you notes, write you a seperate story, or carry out a conversation because you're so consistent. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, hopefully you also enjoyed this one in all your professionalism :)**

_catnap_**: I'm glad you're enjoying the story, I hope you liked this chapter as well. It was full of goodnes and Edward, which is usually a good thing. Thank you so much for reviewing. I hope to hear more from you :)**

_Erin Goddess of Chaos_**: Well, my goodness, I am flattered that you think this story deserves more views - I still have hope that people give it a shot. I completely agree that Twilight was meant to insert yourself into the story and sadly half of the decisions Bella made, I would not have, so the concept was kind of lost on me. I'm so glad you like Liv, I sometimes have trouble keeping her in character because of how much I'm sticking to the book - sorry about the French. I'm from an area in Canada where I'm constantly around it, so I'll try to remember to keep it to a minimum. Thank you so much for your review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!**

_Rhea Bleu_**: Yeah, I know it's kind of a bummer but that's the point I was going through in the story - that it's pretty uch just a rewrite with a new character. I'm sorry that you aren't enjoying it as much as you'd wished. Hopefully you at least like the changes I made and give my other stories a try. Thank you for your review :)**

_**Please REVIEW guys!**_

**-Egypt **


	10. Theory

**I actually had quite a few people read this story with the last few updates, so that's really exciting for me! I hope that people will start reviewing it, because the ratio of readers:reviewers is high:low. Thank you to my wonderful reviewers, you are amazing and a special thank you goes out to my fantastic Beta, **_Angel of the Night Watchers_**, who is the angel who keeps these stories worth reading! **

**SM owns it all - except or Liv, of course.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"I have one more." I stated as Edward accelerated much too quickly down the quiet street. He didn't seem to be paying any attention to the road as he sighed.

"One," he agreed. His lips pressed together into a cautious line.

"Well...you said that you knew I hadn't been in the bookstore. That I'd gone south. How'd you know?" He looked away as he deliberated answering me. "Come on, I thought we were past all the elusiveness." I grumbled.

He almost smiled. It ended as he made his decision, and looked at the road. "Fine, then. I followed your scent."

I was glad he was looking at the road so I could compose my face. I didn't really know how to answer or respond to something like that, but remembered it for future reference. I refocused quickly, thinking about my new plan of attack.

"Then, before I'm done, you didn't answer one of my first questions." He looked at me with disapproval.

"Which one?"

"How does it work - the mind-reading thing? Can you read anyone's mind? No matter where they are? How do you do it?" I felt my palms go clammy. "Can the _rest _of your family...?" I felt silly, asking for clarification on something so make-believe.

"That's far more than one." He pointed out. I did not budge in position or gaze.

"No, it's just me. And I can't hear anyone, anywhere. I have to be fairly close. The more familiar someone's...voice is, the farther away I can hear them. But still, no more than a few miles." I rolled my eyes, yes that is _so _limiting, to reading someone's mind. What an inconvenience. "It's a little like being in a huge hall filled with people, everyone talking at once. It's just a hum - a buzzing of voices in the background. Until I focus on one voice, then what they're thinking is clear."

"That hum must get annoying." I stated bluntly. He smiled.

"Most of the time I tune it all out - it can be very distracting. And then it's easier to seem normal when I'm not accidentally answering someone's thoughts rather than their words. It's a terrible habit with my family."

"They must hate living with you." He smiled. "Well, I mean, I would hate to live with my mother if she could read my thoughts. I would be perma-grounded."

"I don't get grounded." He stated with a smirk. I rolled my eyes.

"Lucky." I had turned curious again, however. "Why do you think you can't hear me?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "The only guess I have is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I can only hear the FM." He grinned at me in amusement. My mouth dropped open.

"But the AM frequencies are terrible! Does this mean that I _do _have a glitch in my brain? There's something wrong with me? I'm a freak?" The words bothered me more than they should. Probably because it was something I had always suspected, but now it was being proven true, like getting a bad mark on your homework because you aren't competent in the subject.

"I hear voices in my mind and you're worried that _you're _the freak," he laughed. "Don't worry, it's just a theory..." His face then tightened as he looked to me. "Which brings us back to you."

I sighed. Now, the question wasn't what was I going to say, but how was I going to say it? Where would I begin? "Aren't we past all the evasions now?" he reminded me in a soft, taunting tone. I looked away from his face for the first time to roll my eyes, only to notice the speedometer.

"Mon Dieu! Are you trying to get pulled over?"

"What's wrong?" He was startled, but the car didn't slow.

"You're going one hundred miles an hour!" I was still shouting. I shot a panicky glance out the window, but it was too dark to see anything of importance. The road was only visible in the long patch of bluish brightness from the headlights. The forest along both sides of the road were like black walls - as hard as a wall of steel if we were to hit it at this speed.

"Relax, Vivienne." His eyes rolled.

"Are you trying to kill us?" I demanded.

"We're not going to crash." I shook my head.

"Why are you in such a hurry to kick me out?"

"That's not the case at all. I always drive like this." He smiled crookedly at me.

"Keep your eyes on the road!"

"I've never been in an accident, Vivienne. I've never even gotten a ticket." He tapped his head with a grin. "Built-in radar detector."

"Funny." I fumed sarcastically. "Charlie is a cop remember? I was raised to listen to laws. Besides, if you turn this Volvo into a pretzel against a tree, _you _can probably just walk away."

"Probably." He agreed with a short, hard laugh. "But you can't." He acknowledged, sighing as he slowed down to eighty. "Happy?"

"Almost."

"I hate driving slow," he grumbled, like an unhappy toddler.

"This is _slow_?" I questioned.

"Enough commentary on my driving," he snapped. "I'm still waiting to hear your latest theory."

I bit my lip. He looked down at me, his eyes unexpectedly gentle as he saw my sheepishness. I would sound so stupid, suddenly my theory just seemed more like a teenage fantasy novel rather than an actual thought process with facts and worthwhile guesses.

"I won't laugh," he assured me.

"You said that last time." I muttered. "And I'm more afraid you'll be angry."

"Is it that bad?" He asked lowly. I nodded. He waited, but I was looking out the window for a second, trying to catch my bearings. Where was confident Vivienne who had just come to Port Angeles to find an outfit to make this boy fall for her? "Go ahead."

"I don't know where to start." I admitted.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" I glared at him. "You said you didn't come up with this on your own." He started for me. I was grateful.

"No."

"What got you started - a book? A movie?" he probed.

"No - it was Saturday, at the beach." I risked a glance to his face, which was completely puzzled. "I ran into an old family friend - Jacob Black. His dad and Charlie have been friends since I was a baby. My Mom grew up with his Mom." I watched him closely, examining the look of puzzlement on his face as I added, "His Dad is one of the Quileute elders."

A change. Minute, but there. His face was rigidly held into that look of confusion. Forced. Fake.

"We went for a walk he started telling me some of the old legends, he was trying to scare me, I think. He told me one..." I hesitated.

"Go on," he pushed, his voice low.

"About vampires." I realized then that I was whispering. I couldn't look at him anymore, I was very preoccupied with my hands, which were shaking out of nervousness.

"And you immediately thought of me?" Still calm.

"No. He...well, I kind of tricked him?" I basically asked. "Someone else had mentioned your family and Jacob thought that it was just a silly superstition. He didn't expect me to think anything of it." I was rambling now. "It was Lauren's fault. She had said something about you - trying to provoke me and it worked, but this older boy said that your family doesn't go there, and I tricked it out of Jacob when we were alone." I blushed, cutting my rant off. He startled me with a booming laugh, to which I glared.

"You promised not to laugh."

"Tricked him how?" he chuckled.

"I tried to...flirt with him." I blanched. "It worked better than I thought it would. I'm pretty much inept at all attempts - I'm starting to think that males from this area find that endearing."

"I'd like to have seen that." He chuckled darkly. "And you accuse me of dazzling people - poor Jacob Black." I looked out the window, but he was not finished with me. "So what then?"

"I did some research on the internet." I said with a shrug.

"And did that convince you?" His voice didn't sound interested but his hands were clamped hard on the steering wheel.

"Not really, nothing seemed to fit. They had some of it down, but to be honest, it all seemed so cheesy. And there was _so _much information. So, I did what any wise girl would do: I called an expert."

"You _what_?" His voice wasn't amused by startled.

"I told my friend, a vampire fanatic, that I was doing a paper on them and I hadn't read the class novel. So she told me _everything._" I bit my lip. "It was a lot to take in."

"And what was your conclusion after your lesson on vampires?" I looked up at his face, carefully composed and unwavering.

"I concluded that it doesn't matter to me."

"_It doesn't matter_?" He repeated incredulously, his carefully composed mask shattering. His face was incredulous, with a bit of the anger that I had known, and feared would be there.

"No," I said softly, afraid he would tell me I was insignificant and kick me out of his life. "It doesn't matter to me what you are. The curiosity was thrilling, and contrary to your belief I don't care to tell the world, but I don't really care what you are. I just hated being lied to."

A hard, mocking edge entered his voice. "You don't care if I'm a monster? If I'm not _human_?"

"You aren't a monster, and I've met many humans who are much closer than you could ever be. So no, I don't care." He was silent, staring straight forward, his face bleak and his eyes narrowed. "You're angry. I knew it. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No," he sighed. "I'd rather know what you are thinking - even if what you're thinking is insane."

My face dropped, and though I said I hadn't cared, I felt ashamed my answers had been off. "So I'm wrong again?"

"That's not what I was referring to. 'It doesn't matter'!" He repeated, grinding his teeth together in disbelief. I widened my eyes.

"I'm _right?_" I gasped, mentally deciding that I would text Arie and say I had gotten an A+ on the paper thanks to her genius.

"Does it matter?" He hissed. I shook my head.

"Not really." I paused. "But haven't we talked about how curiosity killed the cat, but I was human anyway?"

"There are far too many things out to kill you as it is, Vivienne." He groaned.

"Luckily, you've warned me about them so I can be wary."

"You say that as if that would _help._" He was suddenly very resigned. "What are you curious about?"

"How old are you?" I asked, my gaze straight on him, I took in the mask he had once again placed on himself, ready to tear it off once again. I was glad he was playing along, I was glad I was getting somewhere.

"Seventeen." His answer was automatic. Rehearsed. It strengthened my resolve.

"And how long have you _been _seventeen?"

His lips twitched as he stared at the road. "A while," he admitted.

"Okay." I breathed, then smiled. "So...I'm not stupid?"

"Not even close." He stared at me with watchful eyes, much like he had before when he was afraid I would go into shock. I smiled wider in encouragement which made him frown.

"Okay, wow. I'm not psychotic. Good. Now you can't laugh, but I have to know - how can you come out during the daytime?"

He laughed anyway. "Myth."

"Burned by the sun, hence the 'camping'?"

"Myth." I knew there had to be more to that answer but let it slide for now.

"Sleeping in coffins?"

"Myth." He hesitated, then looked at me as he said with an emphasis I didn't understand, "I don't sleep."

"Ever?" I asked my eyes wide.

"Ever." He confirmed I glanced sadly at him.

"But then - you can't dream."

"No, I can't." He confirmed again, there seemed something about this one that was bitter to him. I wanted to make it clear what I felt.

"But...that's sad." I pouted, looking at him with sympathetic eyes.

"Why is that sad?" He asked his tone curious as he tilted his head to look at me.

"I love dreaming," about you, I added in my mind. "It's sad that you can't do that."

"Sometimes I can hear other people's dreams. I'm not as left out as others." I nodded slowly, but his gaze was hard again. "You haven't asked me the most important question."

I grew nervous. "Which one is that?"

"You aren't concerned about my diet?" he asked sarcastically.

"Ah. That." I said as if I hadn't thought about it, he caught my lie plainly enough.

"Yes, that." His voice was bleak. "Don't you want to know if I drink blood?"

I flinched. "See...Jacob actually mentioned that."

"And what did Jacob say?" he asked somewhat condescendingly. It gave me a bit of anger for fuel as I looked at him.

"He said you didn't hunt _people. _He said your family wasn't supposed to be dangerous because you hunted animals - you know, like _humans_ do." I added.

"He said we weren't dangerous?" his voice was skeptical. I shook my head.

"He said you weren't supposed to be dangerous. But the Quileutes don't want you on their land, just in case." He looked forward and I couldn't tell if he was watching the road or not. "So was he right? About not hunting people?"

"The Quileutes have a long memory." He whispered. I took it as a confirmation. "Don't let that make you complacent, though." He warned. "They're right to keep their distance from us. We are still dangerous."

"I don't know what you mean."

"We try," he began slowly. "We're usually very good with what we do. Sometimes we make mistakes. Me, for example, allowing myself to be alone with you."

"This is a mistake?" I heard the sadness in my own voice and hoped that he wouldn't be able to. But he nodded just as gravely.

"A dangerous one." He murmured.

We were silent, then. I watched the headlights twist with the curves up the road. They moved too fast and it didn't look real. It looked like a video game. I was aware that time was slipping away so quickly, like the black road beneath us. I was afraid I would never have another chance like this again, where his walls were down. His words hinted at an end, and I recoiled from the idea. I couldn't waste one more minute I had with him.

"Keep going." I pushed, not caring what he said, just wanting to hear his voice fill the emptiness and worry I had felt. He looked at me quickly, startled by the change in my tone.

"What more do you want to know?"

"Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people," I suggested.

"I don't _want _to be a monster." His voice was very low and I nodded, trying to understand.

"But it isn't enough."

"I can't be sure, but I'd compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians - our little inside joke. It doesn't completely satiate the hunger - or rather, thirst. But it keeps us strong enough to resist. Most of the time." His tone turned ominous as he winced. "Sometimes it's more difficult than others."

"Like now." I presumed, suddenly understanding the comments on danger.

"Yes." He sighed.

"But you're not hungry now." I measured, trying to see if my theory was right. He raised an eyebrow at me, completely intrigued.

"Why do you think that?"

"Your eyes. I told you I had a theory. I've noticed that people - men in particular - are crabby when they are hungry. When you're eyes are black you could yell at me all day and feel no guilt." He frowned at the last part and nodded his head.

"You are observant, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically. I didn't answer, just continued to power on with my analysis.

"Were you hunting this weekend with Emmett?"

"Yes." He paused for a second. "I didn't want to leave, but it was necessary. It's a bit easier to be around you when I'm not thirsty."

"Why didn't you want to leave?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as if I were a puppy.

"It makes me...anxious...to be away from you." His eyes were gentle, but intense, and they seemed to be making my bones turn to jelly. "I wasn't joking when I asked you to try not to fall into the ocean or get run over last Thursday. I was distracted all weekend, worrying about you. After what happened tonight, I'm surprised you made it through the whole weekend unscathed. He shook his head, remembering something. "Well, not totally unscathed."

"What?"

"Your hands." I looked down at my palms, and saw the scrapes from when I had fallen at the beach. I decided not to draw attention to the fact my knee was worse. His eyes missed nothing which meant that so long as he didn't _see _my knee, he wouldn't need to know about it.

"I fell."

"That's what I thought." His lips curled up at the corners. "I suppose, being you, it could have been much worse - and that possibility tormented me the entire time I was away. It was a very long three days. I really got on Emmett's nerves." He smiled ruefully at me.

"Three days?" I asked, noticing automatically. "Didn't you just get back today?"

"No, we got back on Sunday."

"Then why weren't you in school?" It was frustrating, because like he had said being away from me made him anxious, being away from him made me desperate and somewhat pathetic.

"Well, you asked if the sun hurt me, and it doesn't. But I can't go out in the sunlight - at least, not where anyone can see."

"Why?" I asked curiously, amazed that one legend was partially true.

"I'll show you sometime," he promised. My heart fluttered - this would not be the end of our interaction. But I started to frown again.

"You should have called or something."

He was puzzled. "But I knew you were safe..."

"But I didn't know _you _were. I-" Deciding that was not what I wanted to say, I shook my head.

"What?" his voice was compelling and as I looked to him, I felt him dazzle me with that stupid talent of his to make me blabber about everything and anything that was on my mind.

"I didn't like it." I stated. "Not seeing you, I mean. It makes me feel sick."

He was quiet and as I glanced up at him I saw that his expression was pained. "Ah, this is wrong." He groaned quietly. I felt a stab of worry hit my stomach.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you see, Vivienne? It's one thing for me to make myself miserable, but a wholly other thing for you to be so involved." He turned his anguished eyes to the road, his words flowing almost too fast for my understanding. "I don't want to hear that you feel that way. It's wrong. It's not safe. I'm dangerous, Vivienne - please grasp that."

"I don't care." I sounded like a toddler about to begin a temper tantrum.

"I'm serious."

"So am I." I growled. "I told you, it doesn't matter what you are. It's too late."

"Never say that." His voice whipped out, low and harsh. I bit my lip and was glad he didn't know how much this all hurt. I stared out at the road. We must be close now. He was driving much too fast.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, his voice sounded raw. I just shook my head, not sure if I could speak. I could feel his gaze on my face, but I kept my eyes forward.

"Are you crying?" He sounded appalled. I wasn't actually, but my eyes were watering.

"No." I said forcefully, I was officially in pissed-off-Vivienne mode.

"I'm sorry." His words burned with regret. I knew he wasn't apologizing for the words that had upset me. He gave the appropriate waiting time. "Tell me something," he asked, struggling to make the tone lighter.

"Yes?" Since he had answered all my questions with detail, I figured I could do the same - not that I had much to tell him. I was not nearly so interesting.

"What were you thinking about tonight, just before I came around the corner? I couldn't understand your expression - you didn't look that scared, you looked like you were concentrating very hard on something." I blushed.

"My friend taught me some self-defense tactics. He's a black-belt. I was trying to remember how to actually _do _them." I felt a surge of hate when I thought about the dark-haired man who was obviously the leader of the group.

"You were going to fight them?" This upset him. "Didn't you think about running?"

"In case you didn't hear the asthma attack coming on, it was my only option."

"Screaming for help?" he offered lamely.

"Tried it. Kind of hard with your lungs constricting." He shook his head with a small smile.

"You were right - I'm definitely fighting fate trying to keep you alive." He smiled. "But, your name says it all." I blushed. So he did know that _Vivienne _was French for _Alive._ We were slowly passing the boundaries of Forks and it had taken just about twenty minutes - I suddenly hated his driving more than just because of how terrifying it was. I now hated it because it gave me much less time with him.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes - I have a paper due, too." He smiled. "I'll save you a seat at lunch." It was silly that even after tonight that little promise sent butterflies through my abdomen. We were now in front of home - the lights were on, my truck in it's place and everything was plain old life. It felt like an alternate reality to the one I had just learned about, and it was far less exciting. He stopped the car, but I couldn't bring it in me to move.

"Do you _promise _to be there tomorrow?"

"I promise." The simple words gave me courage. I pulled his jacket off, taking one last deep breath while in it. He shook his head. "Keep it. You don't have a jacket for tomorrow."

"I don't want to have to explain to Charlie."

"Oh, right." He grinned, taking the jacket from me. I hesitated, my hand on the door handle but wanting to prolong the moment.

"I don't want to leave." I admitted in a groan. He chuckled.

"Vivienne?" He asked. I turned back a little too quickly. "Will you promise _me _something?"

"Yes." I instantly regretted my quick oath, hoping it wasn't anything stupid about making us leave each other alone or anything like that.

"Don't go into the woods alone."

I stared back at him in confusion. "Why?"

He frowned and his eyes were tight as he stared past me out the window. "I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there, let's leave it at that."

I raised an eyebrow. "You just lurk around the woods?"

"Goodnight, Vivienne." I sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, then." I opened the door, suddenly much more comfortable to go outside.

"Vivienne?" I turned around and he was leaning towards me, his pale, glorious face mere inches from mine. I am pretty sure my heart stopped beating because there was a painful lurch that wasn't easily recognizable.

"Sleep well," he said. His breath blew on my face - the same smell from his expensive jacket, but in a more concentrated form. I blinked to get the clouds away from my mind but it didn't actually work until he leaned away. I was unable to step out of the car gracefully, in fact, I nearly fell out, only to hear him chuckle. He waited until I had - somehow - gotten to the front door, and then I heard his engine quietly rev. I turned to watch the silver car disappear around the corner. I realized it was very cold outside and sighed. I had liked that black jacket that was now lost to the street.

I reached for the key mechanically, opened the door and stepped inside.

"Liv?" My Dad called from the living room.

"Yeah, it's me." I walked in to see him watching a baseball game. He looked up at me.

"You're home early." He noted. "No shopping bags? I'm proud."

"Am I?" I asked, ignoring the taunt.

"It's not even eight yet." He told me. "Did you girls have fun?"

"Yeah, tons." My head was spinning as I tried to remember back to the century before all this happened where I had actually been out with Jessica and Angela. "They both found dresses."

"Are you alright?"

"Just tired." I assured. He looked concerned. I wondered what my face looked like - completely in awe? Looking blind to everything but my own thoughts?

"Well, maybe you should go lie down. Are you cold? Why didn't you take a jacket?"

"Oh, uh...I think I left my jacket in Jessica's car -I need to remind her to bring it." I lied, badly, as I went towards the phone. He nodded and took a sip of soda.

"Well, give her a chance to get home first."

"Mm." I didn't want him to catch me in a lie, so I hummed in the affirmative before I went into the kitchen and fell in a chair, too distracted to realize how hard I had plopped down. Maybe I was going into shock - but for a much different reason.

The phone rang suddenly, startling me. I yanked it off the hook with misplaced hope as I answered. Could he get to wherever his home was that fast? Surely he could. Maybe he was calling me to taunt me about when I had asked him to call me and let him know that he was safe this weekend.

"Hello?"

"Liv?" I tried not to be too disappointed.

"Hey, Jess, I was just about to call you."

"You made it home?" Her voice was relieved...and surprised.

"Of course. Did I happen to leave my coat in your car? You can bring it tomorrow, can't you?"

"Sure, but tell me what happened!" She demanded.

"In trig?" I asked, listening with my free ear to see if I could hear Charlie. He wasn't anywhere near but I was concerned he would catch on that I was lying if I said too much.

"Oh, is your dad there?" Faster than she normally catches on.

"That's right."

"Okay. Then I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye!"

"Bye Jess."

I walked up the stairs slowly, a heavy stupor clouding my mind. I went through the motions of getting ready for bed without actually paying attention to what I was doing. I was in the shower under the steaming water when I realized that I was freezing and I _was _going into shock. I shuttered violently for several minutes not able to stop thinking about everything that _could _have happened tonight. I was too rigid to move out of the shower, but pulled myself out when the hot water began to run out.

I wrapped myself securely in a towel, trying to hold in the heat as I stayed in the bathroom. I didn't want my shivers to return. I dressed for bed quickly and dashed from the bathroom to my bed as if I were long-jumping it. I climbed under my covers and was disappointed that they were so cold, even though they were so thick. It reminded me of Edward's jacket - without the beautiful aroma.

My mind was full of images I couldn't understand or repress. Images of the night, some my imagination had dredged up, some that were closer to realistic and some that were snapshots of what I could remember, but it was all becoming hazy.

About three things I _was _absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know potent that part might be - that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably his.

* * *

**Did you like it? Man, that boy can be charming. I always forget since I'm Team Jacob, but in the books - Edward's pretty great too. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm not Team Jacob when it comes to him being with Bella, Im pretty sure I'm Team Jacob when it comes to him being with **me**. Anyways, thanks for reading!**

**To my reviewers:**

_Eryn Goddess of Chaos_**: I'm hoping to break free of the book as soon as the baseball scene ends - because that's when things would be very different between characters. If I decide that people would like it enough to read it, the second book will be very different as well - I keep thinking through all these little quirks and things I would change, I just haven't decided if I want to take the time to write the other books or not, considering no one is really giving me feedback on them. I'm glad you like that she speaks French, I was close fluent when I switched high schools in Grade 11, so it's really bringing back some memories of how it was when I used to get confused over what languages I thought in, since I'm also fluent in another language. So I put a little bit of myself into that one. I'm glad you got the 'Bella' joke, I thought it was pretty funny and laughed at myself for a while once I wrote it, I'm glad you liked the chapter and love your monster reviews so thank you!**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: I know what you mean about reading a chapter through a few times later, that's normally how I write my stories. I write each chapter like a play first - dialogue and limited direction and thought, then go back twice to add in the meat. You may be able to tell when you edit it, now, haha. I probably won't do a Jasper/OC because as much as I like his character, I find it really hard to imagine him without Alice unless it was during Maria's time, which I have thought of doing a one-shot for, but I probably wouldn't do a whole story on it. As I said to the other reviewer, I'm glad you like the French. It's the little bit of me that I am distinctly adding into this story because I'm trilingual - though very rusty on French - so in some conversations, I find it hard to key in for a few seconds before I understand. Your help and reviews are amazing, thank you so much!**

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	11. Interrogations

**Thanks for waiting for me to come back, guys. I'm here with another update filled with Edward Cullen wonderfulness. Thank you to my two wonderful reviewers. I really hope that more people start to review soon, because I know you are reading this story, I see the story stats - so you, yes you. You with the face. You should review, it makes me feel better about updating :)**

**Enjoy!**

The next morning it was very hard to argue with the part of me that assured myself that last night was a dream. Logic wasn't on my side, nor was common sense. I clung to the parts that were permanently imbedded in my brain - like his smell. I was sure my imagination wasn't good enough to come up with that all on it's little lonesome.

It was foggy and dark outside my window, and I was just as happy as I had been to see the sun. He had no reason to disappear from school today. I dressed in cooler clothes, trying to remember that I didn't have a jacket for the ride there. It would be cold - I needed to remember to buy a new one in Seattle. At least I'd find one in _those _stores, even if not as nice.

When I got downstairs, Charlie was gone - I was running later than I had thought. I swallowed a granola bar in three bites, chased it down with milk straight from the carton and egged myself to move faster with simple chantings of '_run, run, run_', '_late, late, late_' and '_stupid, stupid, stupid_'. When I rushed out the door a gave a little gasp at how cold it was, trying to cease my chanting. It was unusually foggy and I was actually _in _the driveway before I could see that there was a second car in the driveway with mine - a silver car.

I didn't see where he had come from, but suddenly, he was there at the passenger's door, holding it open for me.

"Do you want to ride with me today?" he asked, amused by my expression - and probably the sounds he had heard me making. There was uncertainty in his voice, as if he wasn't sure I would accept something that was clearly a choice. But it wasn't a choice at all. How could I say no to _that_?

"Stop being nervous." I instructed as I smirked at him and stepped into the warm car, noticing his jacket was slung over my seat. I looked at him as he was sitting next to me suddenly - hadn't my door just closed? - and he saw my eyes on his coat.

"I brought the jacket for you. I didn't want you to get sick or something." His voice was still guarded. I noticed he wasn't wearing a jacket himself, just a light gray knit V-neck shirt with long sleeves. Again the fabric clung to him beautifully. It was a colossal tribute to his face that it was beautiful enough to keep me from staring at his body.

"I'm not _that _fragile-" I began, but at the glare I received, rolled my eyes and put the jacket over my shoulders. I tried not to look like I was enjoying it as much as I was - he smelled delicious. Ha. Ironic.

"Aren't you?" he contradicted. I didn't feel the need to answer. We drove through the fog-shrouded streets far too quickly, feeling awkward. Or at least, I was. Last night all the walls were down, but I didn't know if we were talking under the same terms and impressions, today. It left me tongue-tied.

"What, no twenty questions today?" He asked with a smirk. I immediately relaxed.

"That happens to be my favourite game." I taunted, but seriously - it was. "Why, do my questions bother you?"

"Not as much as your reactions do." He looked like he was joking, but I wasn't sure.

I frowned. "I react badly?"

"No, that's the problem. You take everything so coolly - it's unnatural. It makes me wonder what you're _really _thinking."

"I always tell you what I'm really thinking." I countered immediately.

"You edit," he accused. I looked at him with raised, skeptical eyebrows.

"I can't lie to save my life." When he kept his gaze on me I sighed. "Okay, maybe once or twice...a little."

"That's enough to drive me insane." I shrugged, looking back out my window, loving the effect of the fog hanging in the trees.

"You don't want to hear it." I assured him. The pain in my voice was very faint, I hoped he hadn't noticed it.

He didn't respond and I had hoped that I didn't ruin the mood. We made it into the parking lot of the school, but something occurred to me far too late.

"Where's the rest of your family?" I asked, more than glad to be alone with him, but remembering that his car was usually full.

"They took Rosalie's car." He shrugged as he parked next to a glossy red BMW M3 convertible. It looked like a 2004 or a 2006. It was a beautiful specimen of vehicle and I had to concentrate to make sure that I didn't drool on the window. "Ostentatious, isn't it?"

"It's _beautiful,_" I breathed. "333 horsepower to 7900 rpm, right?"

He looked at me like I was insane. "You know cars." He stated, much like Jacob. I was starting to think by people's reactions that identifying cars was something no other girl here in Washington could do. "I thought you hated going fast?"

"I like it in theory - no one I have ever known has been that fast before last night. No need to be. I live in the city, I don't get a personal brain-radar." I fake glared at him. He smiled.

"If you like cars why are you driving that piece of scrap m-"

"Do _not _hate that truck. It's got character."

"That generally comes with 300,000 miles." I smiled, proud that my truck may have actually hit that mark, but knowing it hadn't. It really _would _have fallen apart and not even someone who could rebuild cars like Jacob could have fixed that.

"If she has that, why do you drive a Volvo?" I asked. He looked at me in shock, only looking away so that he could park.

"So you don't like Volvos now?"

"They're overrated. And in comparison to BMW convertibles?" I looked at him sceptically. "Can you blame me?"

He laughed. "Like I said, it's ostentatious. We _try _to blend in."

"You'll never succeed." I laughed as I got out of the car. I wasn't late anymore, his lunatic driving had gotten me to school with plenty of time. "So, if Rosalie's car is so ostentatious, why did she drive?"

"Haven't you noticed?" he asked with amused, bright eyes. "I'm breaking _all_ the rules now." He met me at the front of the car, staying close to my side as we walked onto campus. I wanted to close that little distance, to reach out and touch him, but I was afraid he wouldn't want me to - like he never had.

"Why do you have cars like that at all, if you're looking for privacy?" I asked him, looking up. He was much taller than I remember thinking on the first day, even when he stood up and marched out of the room. He was over six foot, which was a bit of strain on my neck, even if I was five foot six and a half.

"An indulgence," he admitted with an impish smile. "We all like to drive fast."

"Of _course _you do."

Under the shelter of the cafeteria roof's overhang, Jessica was waiting, her eyes bout to bug out of their sockets. As soon as I was close enough she was quick to cling onto my arm, looking straight at Edward Cullen as if he were an alien - which was kind of close. Basically my first guess when I had asked if he were from Krypton.

"Good morning, Jessica." Edward said politely. It wasn't really his fault that his voice was so irresistible, or what his eyes were capable of so I didn't judge Jessica as she ogled.

"Er...hi." She shifted her wide eyes to me at that time, trying to get her thoughts together. "I couldn't find your jacket and I have to go to class."

"You should probably go then," I said with just as much emphasis behind my words. Surprisingly, she got my hints a lot faster than I thought she would and detached herself so that I could regain some circulation.

"I guess I'll see you in Trig, Liv." She gave me a meaningful look.

"Yeah, I'll see you then." She walked away, pausing twice to peek over her shoulder at us. I sighed after she was out of earshot.

"What are you going to tell her?" Edward asked.

"You told me you couldn't read my mind!" I hissed.

"I can't." He smiled. "However, I can read hers - she'll be waiting to ambush you in class." I groaned as I pulled off his jacket - taking moment to breathe him in - and handing it back to him. He shook his head and I was quick to shrug it back onto my shoulders, glad that at least his smell could give me some comfort...which was slightly, _really _creepy of me.

"So, what are you going to tell her?"

"Little help?" I asked him. "What does she want to know?"

He shook his head, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "That's not fair."

"No, you holding out on me is what isn't fair." He that deliberated for a moment, while we walked, trying to determine what he could and could not tell me. We walked towards my first class quietly, ignoring the stares.

"She wants to know if we are secretly dating. And she wants to know how you feel about me."

"_Putain_." I swore. "What should I say?" People were passing by us and probably staring so I tried to keep my expression plain. He stopped in the middle of our walk and turned towards me, humming to himself thoughtfully. He caught a stray lock of hair that was escaping the twist on my neck and wound it back into place. My heart spluttered hyperactively.

"I suppose you could say yes to the first...if you don't mind, of course. It's easier than any other explanation."

"I can't lie," I reminded him in a quiet voice.

"I don't think with the amount of time I intend to be near you that it could be considered a lie," he hummed thoughtfully. I felt my heart stop.

"Oh." Not my best response, but I was surprised I could vocalize anything at all.

"And as for her other question...well, I'll be listening to hear the answer to that one myself." One side of his mouth pulled up into my favourite uneven smile. I couldn't catch my breath soon enough to respond to that remark. He turned and walked away. "I'll see you at lunch." He called over his shoulder. People everywhere watched in awe.

I hurried into class, flushed and irritated. He was such a cheat! He was totally going to spy on everything I had to say to Jessica so that he would know some of what I was thinking and in the end, I would know nothing more because stupid boys can't talk about emotions. I thought about not telling Jessica anything, but let's be honest - she would get it out of me through force.

"Morning, Liv." Mike said form the seat next to me. I looked up to see an odd, almost resigned look on his face. "How was Port Angeles?"

"It was..." There was no way to sum it up. "Great," I finished stupidly. It was not just _great. _"Jessica found a really nice dress."

"Did she say anything about Monday night?" he asked, his eyes brightening in excitement. I became a little more excited too, glad to see where the conversation was going.

"She said she had a really good time." I assured him.

"She did?" he asked eagerly.

"Well, I can't give you any more details without blowing the bomb, but yeah. That you got her a carnation was a really sweet touch." He blushed. At least now he knew that I knew everything - which was a plus. Depending on how much he thought about it, he would know that she had had such a good time she'd decided to blurt it to the world.

Mr. Mason called the class to order then, asking us to turn in our papers. English and then Government passed in a blur, while I was worried how I was going to explain things to Jessica and agonized over the fact that Edward would know everything I _did _say. How very convenient his little talent could be when he wasn't using it to save my life.

By the end of second hour, the fog had almost disappeared, but the day was still dark with low and intrusive clouds. I smiled up at the sky as I walked towards Trig. This looked more like lightning than rain that would end up hitting and it meant that I would get a good nights sleep and be able to relax more. There hadn't been a storm in weeks.

Edward was right. As always. Jessica was sitting in the back row, nearly bouncing off her seat in agitation. I reluctantly went to sit by her, trying to convince myself that I should just get it over with.

"Tell-me-everything!" she commanded before I was in my seat.

"What do you want to know?" I hedged, trying to take my books out of my bag for something to do.

"What happened last night?"

"We went out for dinner." I explained when she was about to talk, I added. "Yes. He bought." She squeaked a bit, so I shrugged. "Then he drove me home."

"How did you get home so fast?" She glared, her expression completely suspicious.

"He drives like a maniac. It was terrifying." I hope the spying little bugger heard it. I hope he even laughed in class and had people look at him like _he _was out of place.

"Was it like a date? Did you tell him to meet you there?"

"No." I blushed. "I was...very surprised to see him there." She must have remembered how terrible I was with lying because she believed it even with the awkward pause. Her lips puckered in disappointment of my lack of thrilling details.

"But he picked you up for school today?"

"Yes - that was an even bigger surprise. He nearly made me pee myself when he was suddenly right beside me." I laughed. "He noticed that I didn't have a jacket last night."

"So...are you going out again?"

"He offered to drive me to Seattle Saturday because he thinks my amazing truck isn't up to it...does that count?"

"Yes." She assured me, far too hyper for her own good.

"Well, that's certainly not the kind of date I'm used to." I smirked.

"No one is used to a date with Edward Cullen! W-o-w." She exaggerated the word into three syllables.

"Wait!" Her hands flew up and the three rows in front of us turned to look at her. We duck our heads closer together to try and stay quiet. "Has he _kissed _you yet?"

"No." I said immediately, my face clearly burning. I really hoped that he couldn't _see _things, too. "It isn't like that." She looked disappointed and I knew that I did, too.

"Do you think Saturday...?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively. I widened my eyes a little.

"I really doubt it." I was doing a terrible job disguising my dislike of the situation.

"What did you talk about?" She asked, pushing for more. Class had started but the teacher wasn't paying close attention and we weren't the only ones talking, so at least we weren't being too loud. I hoped we wouldn't get caught. So long as we were whispering: I didn't want everyone to know. Or did I? It would be nice to...what? Claim him? Not necessarily claim him...but more so have it so I _could._

"I don't know, lots of stuff?" I basically whispered back. "We talked about the English essay a bit, our families, us..."

"Please, Liv, give me some details!" She was pleading now, dying from the lack of gossip. I giggled a bit before nodding.

"Well, okay, I've got one. You should have seen the waitress flirting with him - it was over the top noticeable but he didn't pay any attention to her at all." Let him make what he could of that.

"That's a good sign," she encouraged. "What she pretty?"

"Very. She was probably nineteen or twenty."

"Even better." She was almost squeaking in excitement. "He must like you!"

"I think so, but it's hard to tell. He's always so cryptic." I sighed and looked at me with wide eyes.

"I don't know how you're brave enough to be alone with him." she breathed. I looked started, I was sure. I looked her up and down.

"Why?"

"He's so...intimidating. I wouldn't know what to say to him." She made a face, probably remembering this morning or last night when he had turned his dazzle on. I laughed a bit.

"Sometimes I have a problem with speaking in general, around him. He just...kind of paralyzes me." I admitted, blushing a bit when I thought about how he was be listening.

"Oh well. He _is _unbelievably gorgeous." Her shrug told me that to her, that was all that mattered. I wrinkled me nose when I realized that it was probably true.

"There's so much more to him than _that_." I sneered, my eyes widened when I realized what I had blurted. Well, Edward - in case you didn't know that not only are you the most gorgeous guy we had ever seen, now I thought about you often and all your amazingness. Hope you don't mind. Now as you listen in you're about to hear me gush and watch me turn to jelly at the mere mention of you.

"Really?" She asked, ready for the gossip. "Like what?"

I should have let it go. I hoped he was joking about listening in but from the little I knew about Edward and his frustration with not being able to hear me, I knew that he was going to. I probably would have, too. I bit my lip, carefully calculating out the best response.

"I can't explain it right, but he's even more unbelievable _behind _his face." She snorted. If only she knew about the vampire who wanted to save life and used his curse to do so. Just so he wouldn't be the monster the world was trying to push him to be.

"Is that _possible?_"

I nodded.

"So, you like him, then?" Guh! Why didn't she give up? This was the question I knew I shouldn't answer and yet the answer came immediately.

"Obviously."

"I mean, do you _really _like him?" she urged. I giggled.

"Yeah..." I blushed again. I hoped that detail wouldn't registered in her thoughts. She'd had enough of my single word answers.

"How _much _do you like him?"

"Way too much." I whispered. She made a high pitch noise in the back of her throat. "Obviously more than he likes me - but I don't see how I can help that." I added for his benefit. I wondered if my face would now be permanently blushed.

Thankfully, Mr. Varner asked Jessica for the answer to the next question and it gave me time to regroup. I tried to pretend to pay attention for the rest of the class and started evasive action the minute the bell rang.

"In English, Mike asked me how you liked Monday night."

"You're kidding! What did you say?" She gasped and I knew that I was safe.

"I told him that you said you had a lot of fun - he seemed really excited."

"Tell me exactly what he said and your exact answer!"

We spent the rest of the walk and most of Spanish on my description of the conversation and Mike's facial expressions. I wouldn't have kept the attention on someone else's personal conversation for so long had it not been to keep myself safe. And then came lunch. Jessica noticed my excitement as soon as I shoved my books in my bag without thought of them.

"You're not sitting with us today, are you?"

"I don't think so." I couldn't be sure that he wouldn't conveniently disappear again. But outside our Spanish class, leaning against the wall - looking more like a Greek god than an 11th grade student - was Edward waiting for me patiently. Jessica took one look, made a high pitched sound that she thought he wouldn't hear, and departed.

"See you later, Liv." Her voice was thick with implications. Something told me that I might have to turn the ringer off my phone. I looked up at him innocently.

"Hello." His voice was amused and irritated at the same time.

"Hi." There wasn't really much else to say and he didn't speak - biding his time, making me wait for the inevitable taunting and possibly dismissal of friendship - so it was a quiet walk to the cafeteria. He even came to stand in line with me, which earned me stares as if it was my first day all over again.

He led the way in the line, still not speaking, though his eyes returned to my face every few seconds speculatively. It seemed to me that irritation was winning out over amusement as the dominant emotion - which made me nervous. I wondered which part of the conversation he didn't like. Maybe it was back to the idea that I could possibly like him too much and that he didn't want me to like him at all?

He stepped up to the counter and quickly filled a tray of food - most of which was my favourite food.

"How did you-" I realized he probably had taken note of everything I had eaten. "You're not getting all that for me?" I was not up to eating so much. He shook his head, stepping forward to buy the food.

"Half is for me of course." I raised my eyebrow but he said nothing else, only led me to the same place we had sat the Thursday before. From the table to our left a group of seniors sat amazed as they looked at us but Edward seemed oblivious.

"Take whatever you want." He pushed the tray toward me. I smiled, picking up a green apple and turning it around in my hands.

"I'm curious," I started. "What would you do if someone dared you to eat some food?"

"You're always curious." He grimaced, shaking his head. He glared at me, holding my eyes as he lifted the slice of pizza off the tray and deliberately bit off a mouthful, chewed quickly, and swallowed. I watched, eyes narrowed. "It someone dared you to eat dirt, you could, couldn't you?" he asked condescendingly. I frowned.

"I actually have eaten dirt. I was really bullied and it was that or dog dung." I wrinkled my nose. "I also ate worms for a dare."

"I suppose I'm not surprised about the worms but..." he shivered. "To think of someone bullying you." We stopped that conversation before one of us got too into it. Something over my shoulder caught my attention and he grinned.

"Jessica is analyzing everything I do. She plans to break it down for you later." He pushed the rest of the pizza towards me. I put down my apple and took a bite of the cheese pizza. Luckily he didn't know the toppings I liked on it - if he did, I would be unnerved. He knew too much about me and I felt like I knew very little about him. Save his biggest secret in the world by knowing he and his family are a coven a vampires...that's no big deal, though.

"So the waitress was pretty, was she?" He began casually. I snorted, it was a good start.

"I was joking when I said you didn't notice. No need to make fun."

"I _didn't _notice, actually." He shrugged. "I was paying attention to more important things." His eyes smouldered over to me and tried to hold back my shiver. No fair.

"Poor girl." I could now afford to be generous, but I can't say it was entirely heartfelt. I took another bite of pizza. He was still battling with himself and I watched patiently until he was ready.

"Something you said to Jessica...well, it bothers me." I kept my gaze steady on him and took another bite of pizza.

"Not surprising." I said when I was done chewing. "Hearing unrehearsed scripts and overhearing real conversations are always a bit of a letdown. No chase scenes."

"I warned you I would be listening." He reminded. I rolled my eyes.

"I warned you that you wouldn't like what goes through my head." I was proud that I was able to hold my aggravation and make coherent sentences. This was a step in the right direction. "You should be glad that you don't know what I think about. The rest of the world usually is."

"I wouldn't tend to agree." He frowned lightly. "You did say that, but you aren't precisely right. I do want to know what you're thinking - everything. Every minute. I just wish...that you wouldn't be thinking some things." I scowled.

"I don't really understand the difference."

"But that's not the point at the moment." He told, shaking his head like we had both been dazed again. It surprised me, because he was shaking his and I wasn't. There was a moment I wished that I could do that to him - dazzle him. Confound him to the point the just gazed at me to look at me. That would _never _be the case.

"What is?" I asked moodily, now upset when I started thinking, for the hundredth time, how out of my league he is. He leaned forward to me, his hands under his chin. I leaned forward too, trying to remember that we were in a populated area, so we had to stay quiet about some things. I didn't want to get excited or anything.

"Do you truly believe that you care more for me than I do for you?" he murmured, leaning closer to me as he spoke, his dark golden eyes piercing.

I didn't remember how to breathe. The question had knocked the air out of me and I was drowning in my own, heavy surprise and happiness. That was it. It's official. This was all a dream. A fantastic, wonderful dream that I would kill myself for - just so I would never wake up.

"Stop it." I muttered, leaning away slightly.

"What?" His eyes were wide, he hadn't expected me to move away, it seemed.

"Dazzling me. You're compelling enough as it is. So stop it." I smirked at him. He frowned slightly.

"Oh."

"It's not your fault. I know you can't help it." I muttered. "You've had 'a while' to become holder of hearts." I giggled but stopped abruptly as I realized what I said. I paused for an infinitely long and awkward time until he thankfully broke the silence.

"Are you going to answer the question?" I bit my lip.

"Yes."

"Yes, you are going to answer, or yes, you really think that?" He asked suspiciously. I sighed, hoping he would have just taken the answer.

"Yes. That is what I truly believe." I kept my eyes down on the table, my fingers playing with the indents in the linoleum table. The silence dragged on, but I stubbornly refused to be the first to break it again. I fought hard against the need to look at his face, too, even when I heard him heave a sigh.

"You're wrong."

I glanced up in surprise, a knee-jerk reaction. His eyes were gentle.

"You can't know that." I was disappointed in myself. Since when had I become some stupid damsel in distress Mary-Sue? This may have been what I wanted but I didn't know that I would have to change to get it. Then again - had I? Or was I just constantly nervous around him because of how sensitive everything was?

"What makes you think that I can't?" He asked, his eyes penetrating. I assumed he was listening rather forcefully to hear something from my mind. I tried to silence my thoughts just in case.

"Let me think." I began somewhat sarcastically as I leaned away from him. "Aside from the obvious - and I can't be sure because _some _of us can't read minds - but sometimes you're saying goodbye when you say something else to me." That was the best I could come up with to explain the sensation of anguish that his words often seemed to carry.

"Perceptive," he whispered. And there was the anguish again, surfacing as he confirmed my fear. "But that is also why you are wrong." He began to explain further but suddenly his eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by 'the obvious'?"

"Well look at me," I said, though he already was. I indicated with my hand towards my entire being. "I'm so ordinary - in body, personality, and most other aspects of ordinarylife - well, except for bad things like all the near-death experiences, the fact that I've got good mental shield against you and that I'm so clumsy I should be considered disabled. Now, let's look at _you,_" I waved my hand toward him and all his perfection.

He seemed angry for a moment but then his eyes took on a knowing look. "You don't see yourself very clearly, you know. I'll admit that you are dead-on about the bad things," he chuckled blackly. "But you didn't hear what every human male was thinking on your first day of school."

"Fresh meat?" I offered. He smirked.

"Trust me just this once - you are the opposite of ordinary. For all the 'bad' reasons you listed, and then some." I had to swallow to wet my throat enough so I could speak again.

"But in the end - well, no, because it's _not _the end - I just..._I'm _not saying goodbye." I stumbled, glad that I finally got the sentence out in the end. He nodded.

"But don't you see? That is what proves me right. I care the most because if I _can _do it," he seemed to struggle with the thought of whether or not he could, "if leaving is the right thing to do," he rephrased. "Then I'll hurt myself by not hurting you just to keep you safe." With a mood shift, he was smirking at me again, his golden eyes playful.

"Of course, keeping you safe is beginning to feel like a full-time occupation that requires my constant presence." I did not argue that for a moment, because I _wanted _him to be there constantly. But I still had a bone to pick.

I glared. "Your theory is flawed."

"Is it?" He seemed surprised by my severity.

"Yes. Because if you left - it would hurt me more than anything else that you've had to save me from." Silence. Deafening silence as he thought over my words, a crease appearing in between his eyebrows as he concentrated on it. I was glad he was giving me that much, at least.

"Luckily." He explained. "No one seems to want to hurt you today."

"Yet," I added with a smile.

"I have another question for you." his face was still casual.

"Shoot."

"Do you really need to go to Seattle this Saturday, or was that just an excuse to get out of saying no to all your admirers?"

I made a face. "You're lucky I like you more than you like me," his eyes narrowed. "Because I haven't forgiven or forgotten about the Tyler incident and your involvement. It's your fault he thinks he's taking me to Prom."

"Oh, he would have found a chance to ask you without me - I just really wanted to watch your face," he chuckled. I would have been angrier had I not liked his laugh so much. "If I'd asked you would you have let me down?"

"Nope." I said very clearly. "But I may have canceled after - faked an illness or an injury of some sort, since you know how often I get those."

"Why would you do that?" He asked in puzzlement.

"I may have gone to an Art school, but that doesn't mean I'm not a dork. In fact, it probably makes me a bigger one. Luckily I'm better at dancing than Gym. Actually, I really like dancing."

"Then why would you cancel?"

"Call it stage fright," I offered lamely. "Besides, I'd feel terrible embarrassing you," I cut him off before he could argue me. "And I would, somehow. Probably involving falling on my face, spilling my drink all over my dress, ripping my dress, slipping-"

"So it's because you can't walk over a flat, stable surface without finding something to trip over?" he questioned with a smile. I feigned insult.

"Hey! Air is a very stable, constant factor in my tripping. If you can trip over air, it should be considered talent, not incapability."

"Well, your clumsiness would not be a problem. It's all about the leading." I smiled, biting my lip.

"You dance?"

"I've had a few years to practice." He mocked. I giggled.

"So have I." I whispered. He looked at me with a skeptical eyebrow raised.

"You do?"

"I do. Remarkably well considering how I can't seem to walk. I mean - not remarkably just...in comparison. I wasn't the best in my class or anything - even close, but I can just be somewhat graceful."

He smiled at me thoughtfully. "I would have liked to see that."

"Too bad you didn't ask me to the dance then." He winced but smiled, it seemed he liked knowing he had the option to.

"You never told me - are you resolved on going to Seattle, or do you mind if we do something different?" I didn't, actually. Not at all. Sure, I had made plans to buy things and try to impress him with how well I did in big cities, but if he had other plans so long as they involved 'we' I didn't mind.

"I am open to alternatives, on one condition."

"You seem to always have conditions." He sighed.

"Can I drive?"

He frowned. "Why?"

"Well, mostly because when I told Charlie I was going to Seattle he specifically asked if I was going to go alone - which I was at the time. I wouldn't lie to him if he asked again, but since I don't think he will I don't want to cause issues. I don't want to leave my truck at home and bring up the subject necessarily." He nodded slowly and I smiled as I added, "and your driving terrifies me."

He rolled his eyes. "Of all the things about me that could frighten you, you worry about my driving." He shook his head in disgust, but his eyes were serious again. "Won't you tell your father that you are spending the day with me?" There was an undercurrent to the question that I didn't understand.

"With Charlie, less is always more." I explained. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"The weather will be nice, so I'll be staying out of the public eye...and you can stay with me, if you'd like to." He added, leaving the choice up to me. My eyes widened, excitedly.

"You'll show me what you mean about the sun?"

"Yes." He smiled too, then paused. "But if you don't want to be...alone with me, I'd still rather you didn't go to Seattle by yourself. I shutter to think of the trouble you could find in a city that size."

"Phoenix is _three times _bigger than Seattle - just in population. In actual size-"

"But apparently your number wasn't up in Phoenix, so I'd rather you stayed near me." His eyes did that unfair paralyzing thing again and I couldn't argue.

"If you _insist._" I mocked.

"You should still tell Charlie, though." I widened my eyes dramatically and shook my head.

"No..." I drew out the word, lowly. "Why would I do that?"

"To give me some small incentive to bring you back." I gulped.

"I'm going to take my chances. " He exhaled angrily. "Let's talk about something else."

"What would you like to talk about?" He was still annoyed, but willing to talk was a good sign.

"Why did you go to that Goat Rocks place last weekend...to hunt? Charlie said it wasn't a good place to hike, because of bears." He stared at me like I was missing something very important. "Bears? You know, those are not in season."

"If you read carefully, the laws only cover hunting with weapons," he informed, watching my face with enjoyment as that sank in.

"Bears?" I repeated doubtfully.

"Grizzly is Emmett's favourite." His voice was still offhand but his eyes were scrutinizing my reactions.

"Hm," I mumbled, taking another bite of pizza. "So, what's your favourite? Ant eater?" I taunted.

He raised his eyebrows as his mouth turned down in disapproval. "Mountain lion."

I pouted. "Lions are my second favourite animal."

"What is your first?" I avoided the subject, not wanting to talk about what he may or may not know about other fairytales and folklore by telling him that I liked wolves.

"Wouldn't you get caught by hunting too much?"

"We have to be careful not to impact the environment. We try to focus on areas with an overpopulation of predators - ranging as far away as we need. There's always plenty of deer and elk here, which will do, but where's the fun in that?"

"Oh yeah. So boring." I murmured, trying to imagine running after a deer. I rubbed my scraped palms absentmindedly.

"Early spring is Emmett's favourite bear season - they're just coming out of hibernation, so they're more irritable." He smiled at some joke that I didn't understand. I frowned, taking another bite of pizza. "Will you please tell me what you're really thinking behind the sarcasm?"

"I'm trying to picture it - but I can't." I admitted. "How do you hunt a bear without weapons? Or catch a deer - well, I mean, you could cause you're so fast but I'd just die."

"We have weapons," he flashed his bright teeth in a threatening smile. I fought back a shiver before it could expose me. "Just not the kind they consider when writing hunting laws. If you've ever seen a bear attack on television, you should be able to visualize Emmett hunting."

I couldn't stop the next shiver that flashed down my spine. I peeked across the cafeteria towards Emmett and was glad he was looking away from me. The thick bands of muscle that wrapped his arms and torso were suddenly even more menacing - though I hadn't before thought it possible.

"Are you like a bear, too?" I asked him.

"More like a lion, or so they tell me. Perhaps our preferences are indicative."

"Perhaps." I tried to smile, trying not to think about him taking down Mufasa. "I'd think you'd be more like a cheetah - because of how quick you are."

He smiled at me. "Perhaps. I never considered it."

"Will I get to see?"

"Absolutely not!" His face turned even whiter than usual and his eyes were furious. I leaned back, stunned and slightly frightened by his reaction. He leaned back as well, folding his arms across his chest. I bit my lip, trying to see if I could get away with saying 'I meant see how fast you can run', but knew that I wasn't so good a liar.

"Too freaky?" I whispered.

"If that were it, I would take you out tonight," he hissed. "You _need _a healthy dose of fear. Nothing could be anymore beneficial."

"So why is it a problem?" He glared at me and I found myself flinching away. His eyes automatically softened when he realized he was scaring me and he stood from the table.

"Later. We're going to be late." I jumped up, grabbing my bag from the back of my chair.

"Later, then." I agreed, knowing this would not be something I forgot about when 'later' finally came.

**I hope you liked it, guys. I would like to send a special shout out to my reviewers:**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: You quoted Finding Nemo in your last review. I am pretty sure that you are my favourite person ever. That is why your reviews are so awesome. You should try it, it really helps me and then you can get past a lot of the little bumps in the road and edit what you don't like right out. It saves time, or at least, that's what I find. Yes, Edward is very charming - it's so sad it doesn't come across in the movies, even though Eclipse was a lot better for it. I've heard Spanish is really hard to learn and I know a derivitive of Yugoslavian, which is kind of dulled down since the countries have all been mixed together in that area to form the Czech Republic. Pretty random, I know. It's nice to hear that the other books would be interesting to read, I think about how Vivienne would handle herself all the time. Being depressed and holding herself together? Pft. Nope. I picture her pissed. Newborn army? I doubt she'd be as desensitized. I can imagine it now...**

_Eryn Goddess of Chaos_**: As I just said to the reviewer before you, yeah, I don't see New Moon in the same way at all were it Vivienne instead of Bella. I'd imagine her being really, really mad. There would be no bed-ridden nature for her...well, maybe the first few days, but that's customary for any break up. I do appreciate your monster reviews, it gives me much more insight and of course the most genuine people seem to be talkative, so it's not a negative thing :) I wish I could speak something cool like Japanese. I used to watch anime, but the channel I watched it on seemed to disappear and the timing doesn't work with my school scheduling for others. The nitty gritty is on it's way so I hope you're ready for it! Thank you for the review, it was wonderful to recieve, as always!**


	12. Complications

**I love reviews, even though I haven't been getting them for this story. But I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, even though a fair number of people are reading it so I hope since the numbers for this are steady that you're at least enjoying it. A special thank you again goes to my amazing Beta **_Angel of the Night Watchers_**, who got this out so quickly for you.**

**Hope you enjoy the Liv/Edward love affair!**

**Enjoy :)**

Everyone was mesmerized when we walked together to our lab table. I didn't know whether or not anyone else noticed that he no longer angled his chair away from me, but rather sat very close - almost close enough for our arms to touch. It was a distracting sensation.

Mr. Banner came in soon after announcing it was a movie day, to which relieved me. It seemed to relieve the rest of the class too, since people started high-fiving and celebrating in their own ways. As he pulled the metal frame on wheels and the ancient TV into the room, I saw people zip out their cell phones. I thought about opening mine, but Edward was so close. I needed to remember that tonight I had to call Arie and tell her what's been going on.

I winced, I could imagine her screaming in my ear already.

"Something wrong?" Edward asked. I looked at him wide-eyed, had my wince been outward?

"No, nothing. I'm just thinking." I mumbled, turning my eyes to watch Mr. Banner plug the television in and put in the movie. Edward, as always, was fascinated by this.

"What about?"

"Um...the movie?" I offered. He smiled at me, not seeming to be upset.

"You really _are _a terrible liar."

"Well, I was just thinking about how I had to call my friend."

"Which caused you to grimace?" He questioned tauntingly, his eyes taunting. I bit my lip and tried looking away from him, just so I could get my thoughts in order. Mr. Banner had just turned off the lights and it seemed that the movie was beginning. I dropped my voice to a whisper, so we wouldn't get in trouble and therefore have _more _attention on us.

"If you were to know her, you would understand." I explained with a small smile. "My best friend is a little...loud."

"I hope one day I will get to."

That was all that was said as I pondered the idea of him meeting Arie. He really planned to stay around that long? Surely he knew that Arie wasn't coming back for summer break or anything like that - she was sadly going to France without me. He thought that we would still be around each other for long enough that he could wait it out?

It was a comforting thought that added even more meaning to the hypersensitivity I had with Edward sitting so close to me. When the opening credits began I was surprised by the surges of electricity I could feel in the air between our bodies, it made me want to touch him and give into the sensations. To quell this, I shoved my hands into my bag and dragged out a notebook. I put a paper on the table and began to doodle mindlessly, anything to keep at least one of my hands busy. Had I been left handed like my brother, it would have been even easier since that was the side closest to him.

Every now and then I couldn't help it as my eyes flickered over to him. I also couldn't help but smile when I realized he seemed as tense as I did, both his hands in fists and under his arms. His eyes were also peering sideways to me - when I grinned, he grinned and when I looked away, I felt his eyes smouldering on my cheek. I tried to keep from hyperventilating...I didn't have my puffer, yet again. Perhaps it was something I should consider bringing around with me, were things to work out between us.

The hour seemed ridiculously long. The movie made no sense to me because I couldn't pay attention. I tried to relax, even write down some of my favourite lyrics to songs, but the electric current was far too distracting. Who ever would have thought I could be _more _aware of Edward than I already had been? Each time I stole a glance at him, I realized that he was looking right back at me and I contemplated whether or not he was lying about his inability to read my mind.

I was almost too happy when Mr. Banner flicked the lights back on for the end of class. I stretched my arms out in front of me, flexing my stiff fingers, my right hand having drawn, my left hand clenched in a fist - but I knew that was not why they were aching. They had wanted to touch his skin all period and I had held them back like a leash. Edward chuckled beside me.

"Well," he murmured quietly. "That was interesting." His voice was dark and his eyes were cautious.

"Very." I mumbled back, slinging my bag over my shoulder and grabbing my sheet of paper, crumpling it dramatically, just to give my fingers an outlet for their frustration.

"Why would you destroy that? It was quite good." I blushed.

"Just doodles. Nothing worth keeping." I crumpled it more and threw it into the trashcan from ten feet away. I stopped walking when I saw that it had successfully gone into the trashcan and looked at him with wide eyes. "Maybe gym won't be so bad after all?"

Edward dropped me off with a silent grace, as he normally had and as I turned to say goodbye had to stop dead. His beautiful face was torn and pained with some sort of internal battle yet again, but it was so fierce that my goodbye was choked by my shock.

Slowly, he raised his hand and swiftly brushed the length of my cheekbone with the back of his hand, it made my mouth drop in shock. His skin was icy but yet the touch burned - maybe my skin understood metaphors for passion.

"I hope it isn't that bad," he whispered to me. Then, without a goodbye he spun away from me and down the hall.

It _was_ that bad. In fact, I am sure it was worse. I couldn't get out of the daze that Edward had left me in and since I was so entranced, I couldn't seem to do anything properly. Mike had graciously offered to be on my team and save me from everything that was inevitably trying to hit me in the face, but in reality, people should always remember to be afraid of _me. _

After slapping Mike in the shoulder with my racket, tripping over my feet and somehow catching the racket in my hair as I hit myself, then being unable to serve the birdie and when I could, hitting someone in the face with it - really, that one should not have been my fault, they fall slowly - I was pulled off the court. Mike won three of the four games single-handedly. He gave me an unearned high-five when class ended.

"So," he began slowly. I looked up at him, now _having _to pay attention to him since he had been so kind today. "You and Cullen, huh?"

The affection disappeared.

"None of your business..." I warned lowly.

"I don't like it." He stated. I stopped walking to the change room and spun on him, crossing my arms impatiently.

"Oh, you don't? I'm sorry I didn't take that into further consideration."

"It's just...he looks at you like-like you're something to eat."

I let out a guffaw, completely uncertain of how to respond. He glowered at me. I was very soon to accuse and say that he "should tell him if you find a good recipe then" , but I was not here to embarrass him. I glared at him.

"Bad books, Mike. You're in my bad unnecessary-talking-doesn't-know-what-he's-saying books."

By the time I had come out of my stupor and changed out of my gym clothes, Edward Cullen was leaning against the side of the gym. I looked for any sign he had heard what Mike had said to me, but his face was far less troubled. In fact, he looked amused.

"Hi," I drawled suspiciously.

"Hello." His answering smile was brilliant. "How was Gym?"

"...Fine." my smile had fallen by this point and I was sure the lie was obvious.

"Really?" He said, unconvinced. He suddenly looked over my shoulder and narrowed his eyes - at Mike Newton. Well, it seems he _had _heard.

"...It was no big deal." I said with a shrug.

"Newton is getting on my nerves." His eyes slid back to mine. "The things he thinks about you-"

"You listened again?" I asked in horror. He closed his mouth, fighting a smile as he made his eyes large and innocent.

"How's your head?"

"Unbelievable!" I turned, stomping away. "I keep trying not to look a fool in front of you and you just keep looking for r-" I tripped over the lip of the exit to the school. I straightened myself up. "Reasons to think it." I finished. He was trying hard to be noble and fight off his smile.

"You were the one to point out I had never before seen you in Gym. I was curious."

"Not a reason." I muttered. "And today was _worse _than normal! I'm mortified!"

I was even more mortified when we had to walk through the group of boys all crowded and drooling over Rosalie's BMW. They all stopped their drooling to look at us in shock, people still not understanding that we could be friends. No one was friends with a Cullen.

"Keep your eyes on the car - that's 333 horsepower right there. Much more interesting." The boys mouths dropped.

"You know cars!"

"That was not at all the proper thing to say to deviate attention, Vivienne." Edward scolded, but there was a smile on his face to tell me he wasn't upset. Still angry with him, I turned my chin away and sat in the car. He looked over and sighed.

"Will you forgive me if I apologize?"

"Maybe. If you mean it - then promise to _never _do it again."

He snorted in disbelief. I hadn't thought I would get away with it..."What if I mean it and agree to let you drive Saturday?" Even though it meant that he would be listening in again, I knew that they were the best conditions I would get so I jumped on the possibility.

"Fine, I guess." I played coy, waiting for his apology. He seemed to see the smile in my eyes, though as he turned fully to me with his burning eyes.

"I am very sorry that I upset you." After that moment of sincerity his eyes were again playful. "And I'll be on your doorstep bright and early on Saturday morning."

"I don't think Charlie will be fooled if there is a Volvo still left in my driveway." I explained with a raised eyebrow. His smile was now condescending.

"I wasn't intending to bring a car."

"Then how on earth -"

"Don't worry about it. I'll be there, no car." He left the thought hanging there as he reversed the car out of the parking spot, going out of the parking lot and going his regular speed that made me uncomfortable.

"Is it later?" I asked, referring to the conversation he promised we would have.

"I suppose so." He frowned. I kept my expression polite as I waited for him to speak. I looked at him for a long moment and he stopped the car. Looking up, I saw we were at Charlie's. I rolled my eyes. It had only taken three minutes for this to happen. It usually took me near fifteen from parking lot to house.

"And you still want to know why you can't see me hunt?" He clarified, but I saw a trace of humour.

"I was more questioning your reaction." I explained, surprised when my voice came out as a whisper.

"Did I frighten you?" I bit my lip and shook my head. It was almost as obvious a lie as if I had spoken it. "I apologize for scaring you," he persisted with a slight smile, but then all evidence of teasing disappeared. "It was just the very thought of you being there...while we hunted," his jaw tightened.

"That would be bad?"

"Extremely." He said through gritted teeth.

"May I inquire as to why?" I urged poetically, making my eyes as wide as a doe's while I tried to pass off what I just said as my normal way of speaking. Not even close.

"Of course you may." His smirk was almost as large as my eyes and it seemed we were both having trouble keeping straight faces.

"Why?" He didn't speak. "I'll just ask my friend who told me all the vampire stuff and then have unrealistic expectations and who knows what else I would be lead to believe-"

He looked at me, clearly unimpressed. "When we hunt," he began, speaking slowly and unwillingly. "We give ourselves over to our senses...govern less with our minds. Especially our sense of smell. If you were anywhere near me when I lost control that way..." He shook his head. I kept my face firmly under control, not that my face would have given anything away. I wasn't upset, surprised, or frightened by this.

Our eyes held each other and the silence deepened and changed into a mutual understanding of something more than that I wasn't afraid of him. Flickers of the electricity from this after noon began to charge the car and my very skin. I stopped breathing, just to see if it would change anything - but all it did was make my chest hurt. When I sucked in another breath, the illusion was shattered.

"Vivienne, I think you should go inside now." His low voice was rough. The dismissal stabbed a little bit and I winced as I reached for the car door, much more willingly than the night before. The cool draft that entered the car helped me gather in a sting to my lungs that helped me think normally. I stepped out of the car and closed the door behind me - it was the sound of the unrolling window that made me turn.

"Oh, Liv?" It was something he rarely called me and for some reason it didn't sound right coming from him. His words were so archaic in time - possibly because of how old he was - that Vivienne sounded more appropriate. I usually hated people calling me Vivienne just because they forgot to put the French accent on and it sounded horrid with the customary American twang, but with him - it was natural. I liked it better than Liv, even though it meant that he was getting closer to me.

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow, it's my turn." I turned my head in question. "To ask the questions."

"Then I have one request." He raised his eyebrows. I smiled. "Keep calling me Vivienne. You care enough to put the accent - it means something different when you say it."

"Ironic, no?" He smiled, and without another word he was gone.

I smiled as I got into the house, at least he would be there tomorrow since he was so determined to know how my brain worked. It was a small guarantee that went a long way towards my happiness. Dad came home late from work and I was so excited for tomorrow to come that I left him instructions to microwave dinner to warm it up and went to an early bed - reading some Pride and Prejudice to pass the time until exhaustion hit me and I fell asleep with the book open in my hands.

Edward was featured in all my dreams that night - even though that was not unusual. The climate of the consciousness, however, was a definite change. It was co-starred by that thrilling electricity and static that constantly charged between the two of us and I found that I was waking often from the intensity of his cold, burning touches.

When I woke up I was still tired because of the marvelous dreams that had kept me tossing and turning. I showered and pulled on a tight fitting, pullover emerald hoodie and some acid washed jeans with green ballet flats. I combed through my hair and was surprised to see Charlie downstairs. Breakfast was quiet until Charlie seemed to remember what day it was.

"About this Saturday..." he began slowly, walking across the kitchen and watering off his plate.

"Yes, Dad?" I cringed.

"Are you still set on going to Seattle?"

"That was the plan." I grimaced, hoping that he wouldn't catch up on the past tense that was used. He didn't seem to since he was so distracted by washing his dish.

"And you're sure you can't make it back in time for the dance?"

"There is no way in Hell I'm going to that dance." I glared.

"Didn't anyone ask you?" He asked, trying to hide his surprise and nervousness over the question.

"Do you _really _want to talk about this, Dad?"

"No, not really." He admitted sheepishly.

"Likewise."

"Well...you have a good day, then." Charlie said awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot before deciding that the atmosphere was a little too awkward for him. It was simply put as we usually didn't have these kids of conversations. I sympathized with him. I assumed that being a harder was next to the hardest job in the world - next to being a mother. When I heard the cruiser pull away from the driveway, I got my books ready and could only wait seconds before peeking behind the curtains.

There he was, in all of his beautiful glory, sitting in his Volvo right where Charlie had just disappeared in his cruiser. His talent for appearing and disappearing will never cease to amaze me. I wondered if this bizarre routine would continue and if it did, would it inevitably lead to future cardiac arrest from his driving, or his adorable comments?

He waited in the car, not appearing to watch as I shut the door behind me - there was no need to lock it here in Forks. I paused shyly before I opened the door, worried about what mood he would be in today - something that I thought may never stop happening. He was smiling and relaxed and his perfect beauty was nearly excruciating.

"Good morning." He greeted happily. "How are you today?" He had no need to ask. I could see as his face changed while he noticed my bagged eyes, my pale complexion, my exhaustion.

"Good, thank you," I was always good when I was near him.

His gaze lingered on me sadly, he did not look happy with it. "You look tired."

"I _am _tired. I couldn't sleep at all." I admitted with a sigh. I fingered through my hair and saw him smirking.

"Neither could I." he teased as he started the engine. I was beginning to enjoy the quiet purr. I was sure that my truck would end up scaring me whenever the next time was that I would drive it.

"I guess that's right. No complaining for me."

"You slept a bit more." He told. "But it seems not enough. I'm sorry you had trouble sleeping." I blushed, trying not to think about what dreams had kept me tossing.

"It's not your fault." It sounded like a blatant lie, so I covered it by adding, "What did you do last night?"

"Not a chance." He chuckled. "It's my day to ask questions."

"Oh that's right. I'm kind of afraid...alright, start your torture." I couldn't imagine what he would want to know about me. My life was not so thrilling in comparison to his.

"What is your favourite colour?" I smiled.

"So trivial?" I mocked. "Green."

"So this _was _a good place for you to move." He smiled. "Why green?"

"I find that it's the colour with the truest shading. When you go into certain shades of yellow it starts to go brown, same with red and blues start to go gray or black...but green? Green always looks green, no matter how light or dark. It's beautiful in it's differences."

"Wise answer." He smiled thoughtfully, with raised eyebrows. I pouted as a joke.

"Don't sound too shocked."

"What CD is in your CD player right now?" I thought about that and blinked multiple times.

"I don't think I _have _a CD player right now. I live off this-" I pulled my iPod out of my bag. "And it's currently on my 'stars' play list."

"'Stars play list'?" He repeated. I blushed.

"Yeah. Um...I tend to love songs that are about stars. Astronomy really means a lot." I looked out the window. "The clouds have been preventing it since I moved but...I like the rain."

"You _like _the rain?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "The first day we spoke you said you hated the cold and wet." I was surprised that he had remembered it - probably word for word, but I shrugged, understanding what he had misunderstood.

"I don't like the snow. And I don't like too much rain...but I do like rain. But I favour thunder storms. Sometimes I have to listen to them to go to sleep."

And it was questions like this that filled my day. Walking to each class and all lunch hour, even writing down questions and answers in Biology instead of doing work. He kept the piece of paper - but something told me he had committed it to memory and didn't need to.

I talked about Phoenix and how I loved the sun, even though there was a lack of rain. He mentioned how I had gotten darker so I told him how I was part Quileute - which seemed to unnerve him for a bit. Though he wanted to know more about my life than particular people, I told him all about my family and he seemed interested to hear about my friends: especially Asher and Arie. Arie held interest because she was the vampire lover who let me know everything and because she was my best friend. He told me he had specific questions about her for later.

I think he wanted to hear about Asher because before that he had asked for the names of all my boyfriends and realized that Asher and I had been in a relationship. He was glad when he heard it wasn't a successful one and we realized we were much better off friends. He was not as happy to hear about other boyfriends I'd dated, but those were assumptions because he never said anything.

But it seemed he really liked hearing the _little _things. Things like how my favourite band was Kings of Leon because they were so different than anyone else, that my favourite television show was Gossip Girl - not for the storyline, but the fashion and the life style itself, or the fact that I played a few instruments and he raised an eyebrow when I told him it wasn't well enough for him to ever hear. He seemed fascinated by my art training - though not surprised that I was terrible at acting, he was fascinated; and he even made me go into details about why my favourite food was lasagne. Mostly he liked listening to me talk about books. And that was where we stayed for a long time, talking about the endless amounts of books that I constantly read.

"Why do you like reading older works?" He asked me as I left from gym. My face was still flushed from walking around because we had stopped working on badminton and played tennis today. Tennis actually required running around the court because of the faster speed and I was overheated.

"The language." I whispered, still out of breath. "It sounds so archaic, but so proper. Regal, sometimes. I think it's nicer to read." I was glad I was already flushed as I let out my confession. "It's one of the first things I noticed about you. You speak like that. Like all the novels I read...It's endearing."

"What's your favourite gem stone?"

"Tigers Eye." I mumbled, purposely looking away from him.

"Are you lying?" He asked, his voice both with confusion and amusement.

"Not...lying, exactly." I mumbled. "It kinda...changes?"

"Changes?" He questioned.

"Yes...if you would have asked me two weeks ago I would have said Onyx...maybe Hemitite. Or if you asked me after Port Angeles, I would have said topaz..." He cocked his head to the side. "Your eyes fascinate me a little bit."

"They're a symbol of what I am." He frowned, looking at me scornfully. I matched his intensity but with a look more innocent.

"I know they are. But 'what you are' is different to me than it is to you." I blushed. I wasn't going in to how his eyes being lighter meant that he would stick around, that he would want to be around me and that I would want him even more - though it seemed impossible. I didn't go into detail that I feared for him when his eyes were black, that I feared _him. _And currently - I feared his response.

The pause was short, he had decided to save me yet again. "What kinds of flowers do you prefer?"

"Roses." I said at once. "I know that they're cheesy because of how common they are but they're-"

"Elegant." He finished. "Which colour?"

"The red are so romantic. But...well, white is sweet...yellow can be sweet too, though. Oh and blue! Blue roses are wonderful, if you can find a nice one - one that's not too obviously dyed but not too pale, you know? And I've heard black roses are nice. I think they would be elegant too, but I've never seen one-"

"So you really couldn't decide?" He taunted.

"Not really. That's why my _second _favourite flowers are the day lilies. I think that's what they're called. I used to call them fire-lilies. Because they're red at the tips and fade into yellow."

"I've seen them." He smiled. "They are beautiful."

"Yes. I'm the 'stop in the grocery store and smell the roses' kind of girl." I smirked.

But as we got into the car, the questions started to get more and more difficult. By the time I was buckled in he was asking me things like what I missed most about home, insisting on thorough descriptions when he didn't understand something.

We sat in his car for hours, waiting as the sun dipped low behind the trees. I answered each question as best I could and though there were more times he was looking thoughtful than smiling, the mood was just as electric and optimistic as it could have been. He liked my descriptions of my favourite sounds - running water, crunching leaves, thunder, and music - along with my favourite smells like garlic, campfire, burning leaves, and flowers. It was hard to explain why these things were so beautiful to me, especially the ones that were a rarity. It was hard to justify a beauty that didn't depend on this kind of vegetation to be considered alive and it was hard to understand how putting an end to them made me feel better. The end of the sunshine or the cremation of something so colourful.

His quiet, probing questions kept me talking freely, forgetting, in the dim light of the storm to be embarrassed for a one-sided conversation. Finally, when I was finished detailing my cluttered room at home in Phoenix, he paused instead of responding with another question.

"Are you finished?" I asked almost too hopefully.

"Not even close," he smirked.

"What more is there to learn?" I gasped. "It's impossible to retain all this information, I don't even know where you're storing it or why you're even asking."

"Your father will be home soon." He stated to cut off what was sure to be an Arie-worthy rant.

"Charlie!" I gasped. "Oh my Goodness! How late is it?"

"It's nightfall." He murmured, looking over the trees to the falling sun. "It's the safest time of day for us." He said slowly as he watched the sun descend. I watched him in interest - to hear him tell me something so openly was...exhilarating. "The easiest time. But also the saddest, in a way...the end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so predictable, don't you think?" He smiled wistfully.

"I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars." He laughed.

"I should have known." He accused jokingly. "Charlie will be here in a few minutes. So, unless you want to tell him that you'll be with me on Saturday..." He raised an eyebrow. My eyes widened.

"Thanks, but no thanks." I gathered my books and groaned as I bent back up, my limbs stiff from sitting with him for such a long time. "Next time you should just come into the house. I insist, even though apparently _your _kind of vampires don't need to ask permission." I smiled hopefully. "So...my turn tomorrow?"

"Certainly not!" He pretended to be insulted. "I told you I wasn't done, didn't I?"

"What more _is _there?"

"You will find out tomorrow." He reached across to open the door for me and my heart started to race inside my chest. But he had frozen on the handle and instead of looking at me, he was looking into the abyss in front of him – listening.

"Not good." He mumbled quietly, opening the door.

"What's wrong?" I asked nervously, hoping he wouldn't be upset again by .

"Oh, nothing too dramatic. Just...a bit of a complication." He flung the door open in a swift movement and seemed to cringe away from me, I looked at him with innocently hurt eyes. He gave me a small smile and quickly explained, "Charlie's around the corner."

I looked to the car that was approaching and sighed, but I was not convinced. As the queen of the people who cannot lie, I could tell that he was hiding something from me. It was the first time I noticed it, but that may have been because he never actually had _lied _to me before. He had withheld information and changed the subject or so harsh about the truth that it seemed it - but it was not a lie. And here, he was. I got out of the car as I thought this and was upset when he didn't look back and sped away. I stood in the rain, listening to the pelting droplets on my jacket as the Volvo disappeared from sight.

"Hey, Bella," a familiar and husky voice called. I jumped around, my face beaming before I even saw who it was.

"Jacob?" I asked, squinting from both my smile and the rain. He gave me a large, bright smile that lit up the darkness around the house. Another set of headlights was then coming around the corner and knew it was probably Charlie.

Jacob climbed out before he said anything else to me and helped the person in the passengers seat. He was a bit of a heavier set man with a very memorable face - his face like happily wrinkled leather and surprisingly familiar black eyes that seemed both too young for his older body and too ancient for the face it had been given. I knew him immediately as Jacob's father, Billy Black. It wasn't hard to recognize him even though the five years I had managed to forget his name when Charlie had said it the first day here and - as I saw quickly with Jacob's assistance to him - was now in a wheelchair. A lot had changed about him except for his dark, wise eyes. I smiled tentatively at him, unnerved by his wide eyes that were full of either shock or fear, his nostrils flair.

'Another complication', Edward had said...

Billy stared at me with his intense and unnerving eyes and I groaned inwardly. Could it _actually _be possible that Billy had recognized the speeding, silver Volvo as Edward so easily? It couldn't be possible that Billy believed in all of the 'impossible' legends that his son had so recently rolled his eyes over, could he?

But the answer was clear in Billy's dark eyes as he stared in what I now recognized as fear.

Yes, yes he could.

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the Black's coming back in the picture. It's weird writing them as such a small part in comparison to all my other stories, let me tell you. I keep thinking "oh yeah, they still DO exist in this story. I forgot", which is of course very upsetting since a majority of me is Team Jacob. And when I say that, I mean everything but my fingernails - those are Edward. And Alice gets my brain because she's so awesome that I wish she were my best friend...possibly Emmett and Rosalie as well.**

**Anyway, I need to give a huge shout out to my reviewer and also my wonderful Beta...**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: Eclipse was definitely the best - even the effects were better, but I guess that makes sense since their budget shoots up a couple extra million dollars with each one. I'm sure that's why Breaking Dawn is being split into two different movies...Hollywood is all about money. I wasn't going to make Vivienne try to let them on fire, per se, but I could definitely tell you that she wouldn't take it sitting down like Bella tends to. For trying to write Bella as if she could be the reader, they really didn't take into account us stubborn ones who would DEMAND that they let us do something. And cutting herself? I would have thought of that lots earlier, though I do give her props for thinking about it more than the third wife and not stabbing herself fatally. It's a weird language, but I like it. It's a family thing, so it's cool to show off at school or teach people certain code words (like you said with your allergy meds) so that whoever we're talking about doesn't know! Ha, thanks, I loved your review as always so it all works out :)**

**Thank you for reading the chapter everyone. **_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	13. Bonding

**Thanks for your reviews guys. I can see that a lot of people are reading this and fewer are reviewing so I'm going to keep posting this one because at least I know that if you're reading it means you seem to be enjoying it anyway. A special thank you goes out to my fantastic beta **_Angel of the Night Watchers _**who chapter by chapter makes my story better. Thank you!**

**Enjoy :)**

Chapter Twelve - Bonding

"Billy!" Charlie was clearly excited as he exited his police cruiser, running over to Billy for a hug and conversation that was clearly not-so-awkward as small talk would normally be.

I turned toward the house and beckoned Jacob to go with me, trying to make it look like I didn't want to be part of the 'catching up' phase. But really, I didn't want to see that look in Billy's eyes anymore. I hoped that with Charlie as a distraction he may forget what has been really upsetting him, but I knew the hope was in vain.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see you behind the wheel, Jake," he said disapprovingly, but the cocked eyebrow told me he wasn't that serious.

"We get early permits on the rez," Jacob said before turning away awkwardly. Charlie laughed.

"Sure you do," I had unlocked the front door and put on the porch light by now, hoping to draw them in or give them reason to stay out there longer.

"I have to get around somehow." Billy's voice was resonant, probably because of his age. I felt younger when I heard it, but I couldn't tell if it was because I had only been a child when I saw him last, or if it was because of how he intimidated me.

I went further inside, leaving the door open behind me and turning on all the lights before I decided that it was time to hang up my jacket. As I went to the closet, I felt shivers pass through me. He couldn't _possibly _know what he thinks he knows, that or he couldn't believe it. No one in this day and age _really _believed in vampires anymore, did they? I found that I had paused in what I was doing as the boys came in, shaking off the rain.

"This is a surprise," Charlie was saying.

"It's been too long," Billy agreed. "I hope it's not a bad time." His eyes had flashed up to me at this and I shook my head, trying to feign a smile. I wish that I _did _want him here, but not when his eyes held all the accusations he was glaring at me.

"No, it's great." I should have known Charlie would be oblivious. "I hope you can stay for the game."

Jacob grinned. "I think that's the plan - our TV broke last week."

I grinned, despite myself. "Ah, ulterior motives." Now with my presence known Charlie smirked while Billy made a face toward his son.

"Of course, Jacob was anxious to see Vivienne again."

"Liv." Jacob blushed while the two of us corrected him in sync. I tried not to show my discomfort, apparently I had been _too _convincing on the beach. Take _that _acting teachers who gave me low marks.

"Are you hungry?" I added, walking towards the kitchen to escape the dangerous scenario.

"Naw, we ate just before we came." Jacob answered, sauntering into the kitchen after me. I tried not to make my awkwardness visible.

"How about you Charlie?" I called.

"Sure." He responded, almost too eagerly. His voice was now coming from the direction of the TV so I knew that he and Billy were getting ready to be comfortable. I settled with grilled cheese, one of my forte's, as simple as they were. I cut up the marble cheese, processed cheese tastes horrible in comparison, and buttered the bread.

"So, how are things?" Jacob asked as I was slicing the cheese.

"Pretty good." His enthusiasm was hard to resist, so I smiled despite the awkwardness in the pit of my stomach. "How about you? Finished your Rabbit yet?"

"You remembered." He smiled, but shook his head. "No, though. I still need parts. We borrowed that one." He pointed in the direction of the front yard. Surprisingly, I had been so distracted I couldn't even remember what he had driven.

"What are you looking for?"

"Still the Master cylinder." He grinned. "Oh, hey is something wrong with the truck?" he added suddenly. I looked at him blankly and shook my head. "Oh, I just wondered because you weren't driving it."

I stared down at the pan and lightly pressed my finger tip to it and brought it back quickly after I felt the burn, I was glad for the distraction of putting on two sandwiches.

"Nope." I muttered. "Just got a ride with a friend."

"Nice ride." Jacob's voice was admiring. "I didn't recognize the driver, though. I thought I knew most of the kids around here."

I nodded slightly as I began buttering another four slices for myself. I had already sliced the cheese and cursed myself for it - now I had fewer things to occupy myself with. Hm. Suddenly I was in the mood for some veggies. I went to the fridge to grab lots to cut up.

"My Dad seemed to know him from somewhere." Jacob continued. I almost groaned out loud, were he to have better hearing he probably could have heard it at the back of my throat.

"Could you grab me some plates? They're in the cupboard over the sink."

"Sure, sure." He got the plates quietly but I could tell by the look on his face he was still contemplative. I flipped the sandwiches onto their other side. Crisped perfectly. "So who was it?" He asked, setting the plates on the counter next to me.

"Edward Cullen." I sighed quietly, admitting defeat and preparing for the grumbling. But instead, he laughed.

"I guess that explains it, then." He smirked. "I wondered why my Dad was acting so strange."

"Yeah." I mumbled in embarrassment. "He doesn't like the Cullens...and here I was thinking you were exaggerating."

"Superstitious old man." Jacob muttered under his breath. I winced and hid it by taking off Charlie's sandwiches and putting on my own. With my secret addition, I splashed a bit of salt on them and I put some ketchup on the side of the plate and took it out to him. He was watching TV intently, not paying any attention to me but a mumbled thanks. I avoided Billy's eyes.

When I got back into the kitchen I automatically flipped my sandwiches over before innocently asking, "you don't think your dad would say anything to mine, right?"

"I doubt it, " he answered, but I was upset when I couldn't see the expression behind his eyes. "I think Charlie chewed him out pretty good last time. They haven't spoken much since. Tonight is sort of a reunion, I think. I don't think he'll bring it up again."

"Oh." I tried to sound indifferent but he must have been able to tell that my tone was lighter and less troubled because of the frown on his face. I felt bad, but at the same time I felt somewhat safer. I didn't even mind listening in on the conversation. It was so happy in there, other than when the opposing team would get a touch down, that I knew nothing bad would happen. Billy wouldn't ruin the moment, for now, I was fine.

Finally when the game ended, I walked Jacob out to the door, Charlie pushing Billy. Jacob turned to smile at me.

"Are you and your friends coming back to the beach soon?" Jacob asked as he pushed his father over the lip of the threshold..

"I'm not sure...but I'll make it a point to add it in the agenda." I added the last part quickly when I saw his face fall, he was one of those guys I couldn't stand letting down. He smiled even wider than before as he sauntered over to his dad.

"That was fun, Charlie," Billy said.

"Come up for the next game," Charlie encouraged.

"Sure, sure," Billy said. "We'll be here. Have a good night." His eyes shifted to mine and his smile disappeared. "You take care, Liv."

The message was not lost. "Thanks, Billy. G'night."

I headed for the stairs while Charlie waved from the doorway but froze on the steps when I heard a quiet, "wait, Liv." I'm going to have a heart attack. What had Billy admitted? I turned around.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to you tonight. How was your day?"

"Good." I hesitated with one foot on the first stair, searching for details I thought could be safe. "My badminton team won all four games."

"Wow, I didn't know you could play badminton."

"Well, actually, I can't." I admitted weakly. "But my partner's the bomb."

"Who is it?" he asked with a token of interest. I bit my lip.

"Uhm, Mike Newton?" I told him reluctantly. He nodded.

"Oh yeah - you said you were friends with the Newton kid." He smiled. "Nice family. Why didn't you ask him to the dance this weekend?"

"Dad!" I groaned. "He'd dating Jessica. You know, as in one of my best friends? Besides, I already told you that I'm not going to the dance."

"Oh yeah. But you're such a good dancer, Viv." He frowned, making me make a face at this, but he continued. "So...I guess it's good you'll be gone Saturday. I've made plans to go fishing with the guys from the reservation. The weather's supposed to be real warm. But if you wanted to put your trip off till someone could go with you, I'd stay home. I know I leave you here alone too much."

"Dad, you're doing a great job." I smiled, hoping my relief wasn't too obvious. "I've never minded being alone - I have too much of your genetics." I winked at him and he smiled his crinkly-eyed smile.

Mission successful.

I slept better that night, luckily without any dreams. I was more than happy to see that the sky was pearl gray , without a hint of bright sunlight, and I was even more happy that my tension from seeing Billy had seemed to dissipate. It was time to put that little episode behind me and focus on the more important things, like school.

Yeah, cause _that's _what I was really excited for.

"You're cheerful this morning," Charlie commented suspiciously over breakfast. I shrugged.

"It's a Friday." I lied, hoping my brightness overwhelmed the sound of the lie. It didn't.

"Is that it?" He asked suspiciously. I nodded, shoving some cereal in my mouth.

"Yup. Got a text from Arie about how she's failing French without me, too."

"That's no reason to smile," but he was smirking too as he set down his newspaper.

"I responded in French saying that we should talk like this so she starts catching on again, but she didn't understand it. Guess she was being honest." He just smiled and said his goodbyes, in french just to appease me. I was feverishly getting ready by this point, making sure that every hair on my head was as well placed as it could be, that I smelled as well as I could, that my shirt was unwrinkled. After Charlie had left I rushed to the door to see if he was out of sight, but Edward was faster. He was already waiting in his Volvo, windows down and engine off. His timing was impeccable and unnervingly wonderful.

I was giddy as I climbed into the passenger seat, wondering what he would blame my excitement on. Hopefully he would assume that it was because of a Friday as well, but when he grinned that crooked smile, the flutter of my heart must have told him otherwise.

"_Bon nuit_?" he asked in French with a smirk, his voice melted like honey.

"Oui, merci monseiur. Was your night a good one?" I asked him, not wanting to push my French limits with him. It was almost exciting to not know how well he did speak it.

"It was pleasant." His smile was amused and I knew that I was missing out on something. I cocked my head to the side warily.

"May I ask what you did?" I asked suspiciously, he shook his head.

"No." He grinned widely. "Today is still _mine_."

"_How_?" I whined, still confused by his interest in my personal life. But today I realized that his pattern was more along the lines of the people in my life, rather than the life that housed them. He seemed very interested in my mother and why we seemed to butt heads so much. He was very interested in all my friends and continually wanted me to reintroduce Arie into the conversation. Like yesterday, this pattern continued in between classes and in line again at lunch.

"So, why did you break up with Asher then?" I blushed automatically as we made our way with my food back to our isolated little table.

"Well, it kind of went downhill as soon as he told me he loved me..." I muttered with a blush. "I don't like that word."

His lips pressed into a thoughtful line as he watched my cheeks burn. "Don't you?"

"No?" I basically asked. "I think it's because it's so overused. No, not even that - it's _abused._ It's like when Jessica says 'love you' to me on the phone or when little eleven year olds say it to a boyfriend of a month...it doesn't have a lot of meaning anymore. Or a lot of proof."

"Are you insinuating that you don't believe it because you've never seen love before?"

"I didn't say that." I blushed. "I've seen it once or twice. I just don't think it's that...common?" I shook my head, knowing immediately that it was the wrong word choice. He nodded, his head, looking away from me.

"It's not that easy?" he offered.

"Exactly." I took a bite of my buttered cheese bagel and after I was done chewing I smiled at him. "How aren't you sick of my blabbering? _I _don't have a voice made of honey."

"You think my voice sounds like honey?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well...velvet and honey." I corrected, ripping off another piece of bagel with my fingers.

"That hardly seems audible."

"Even less tangible, so don't worry about it." I mocked. He smiled and we lapsed into a small silence; he must have known that I would be more than happy to skip a meal to talk to him about anything that could possibly keep him near me for another long moment like this, because he let me eat. When I had finished my bagel and was well into a green apple, he sighed.

"I should have let you drive yourself today," it came out of nowhere and I furrowed my eyebrows together.

"Why?"

"I'm leaving with Alice after lunch." I blinked many times as the information registered itself into my mind. My hopes fell.

"Oh." It took me a second to realize how obviously disappointed I was - I didn't want him to feel bad or like he constantly had to be around the clingy girl. "Oh, it's fine. It's not a long walk - I have my iPod."

"I'm not going to make you walk home." He frowned. "We'll go get your truck and leave it here for you." I nodded slowly before I realized what that would mean.

"I don't have the key with me so it's fine. I really don't mind walking - I _used _to walk everywhere before some vampire decided to baby me." I said pointedly, he chuckled.

"Well your stroller will be here, the key will be in the ignition - unless you're afraid someone may steal it?" I gasped, dripping with taunt.

"You wait - it will be the rage of the town once I get the time to paint it." I was pretty sure that my key was in my jeans from the last time I had driven it, two days before. Somewhere in the laundry room - not a safe place for it, but it was too late now. He wouldn't be able to find it and I would win this little battle of wits.

"So, where are you off to on this dreary Friday afternoon?" I asked, trying to remain more charming than desperate for the information.

"Hunting," he answered grimly. "If I'm going to be alone with you tomorrow, I'm going to take whatever precautions I can." His face grew morose and to my horror, somewhat desperate as his eyes penetrated me. "You could always cancel, you know"

I looked away from his eyes, not wanting them to work their magic. There was no way I was canceling this...this - well, whatever tomorrow was. It didn't matter what precautions he needed to take. He would take them and life would continue on...with him in it.

"Nope." I turned _my _eyes on him, hoping he would understand the strength behind my words. "I can't."

"Perhaps you're right." the fact was bleak to the two of us as we realized that we both wanted to face the risks just so that we could be together. It made me have to fight off a smile, it made his eyes darken as I watched them.

"What time will I see you tomorrow?" I said quickly, trying to set this in stone before he changed his mind with one of his almighty mood swings.

"That depends...it's a Saturday, don't you want to sleep in?" I almost groaned inwardly. _Yes, _I wanted to sleep in! The sleep I had been getting lately was not at all satisfying and though right now I was fine, I knew that as soon as Edward was out of my sight, the exhaustion would kick back in and the dream would be over - I would be a sleep-walker once again.

But, on the other hand, I wanted to see him for as long as possible.

"No." I said weakly. He restrained a smile.

"Well, for your sake, how about I meet you a little later? Instead of eight, how about I come retrieve you at nine? Will Charlie be there?" An hour wasn't a bad difference, at all! More sleep, more concentration, more time to be enamoured and completely submissive to all things girly and embarrassing. I smiled.

"No, he's fishing tomorrow." Even I was amazed that it was almost so convenient. Almost _too _convenient.

"And if you don't come back tomorrow, what will he think?" His voice was sharp and I was shocked by it.

"No clue." I said shortly, suddenly defensive. "He may think that the troll who lives under the bridge finally grabbed me now that he's had his fill of billy-goats."

We scowled at each other for a long moment but sadly he was much better with continually showing his displeasure. I was instantly aware of how pouty and whiny I must have looked and how unattractive he must have thought me - especially in comparison to he and his family.

"What are you hunting tonight?" I asked, trying to change the subject from glare to information that may have been somewhat interesting.

"Whatever we find in the park. We aren't going far." He seemed bemused by my interest and suave twist of conversation. It made me grow in confidence.

"Why are you going with Alice?"

"Alice is the most...supportive." He frowned, I furrowed my eyebrows. I had never seen Alice so much as look at me.

"So the others hate me?" I asked lowly. He pouted and shook his head.

"They are just incredulous, for the most part." I couldn't help myself as I peeked over my shoulder towards his family. Stupid me even tried to be sly about it, but I knew that if they were looking it would have been _very _obvious as to what I was doing. But they were staring in different directions, none towards me - but now there were only four because the bronze haired angel was sat with little, insignificant _me. _

"They hate me." I confirmed for myself with a nod. And I could see why. I was breaking their little walls they had built up to hide what they were and keep loyal to the 'family'.

"That's not it," he disagreed, but his eyes were too innocent. "They don't understand why I can't leave you alone."

"Nor do I." It was drawn out and in disbelief. "We're definitely on different levels of humanity."

"Humanity." He repeated with a snort and an eye roll. "I told you - you don't see yourself clearly at all. You're not like anyone I've ever known. You fascinate me."

"Don't tease me. It frazzes out my emotions." I mumbled, smoothing out my napkin on the table with both hands, just so I wouldn't have to look at him.

"I am not. Having the advantages I do," I looked up to see him touching his forehead, "I have a better than average gasp of human nature. People are predictable. But you...you never do what I expect. You always take me by surprise." I blushed - somehow, I took that as a compliment. "That part is easy enough to explain, but there's more...and it's not so easy to put into words -"

I was back to staring at the Cullens intermittently during his story, because I couldn't dare look at him. It was too humiliating. But I regretted it the instant that Rosalie, his blonde and breathtaking sister, turned to look at me. And it wasn't just a simple look or acknowledgment that she knew I was watching them - it was a glare. A glare with dark, cold eyes that let me know that she didn't just need looks to kill. She would do it with any weapon she could get her hands on - in fact, she'd probably use her hands. She glared at me until Edward broke off mid-sentence with an angry noise, almost like a hiss, under his breath.

Rosalie turned her head at once and I felt like I was no longer paralyzed by fear. I looked back at Edward - suddenly realizing that he was my safe option and from the tight look on his face as he tried to calm me, I briefly forgot why I hadn't been looking at him the entire time.

"Don't worry about that. She's just worried. You see...it's dangerous for more than just me if, after spending so much time with you so publicly..."

"If you kill me." I finished. His eyes smoldered as he looked up at me.

"If this ends badly." He corrected. He dropped his head into his hands as he had that night in Port Angeles, plainly in anguish. I wanted to comfort him but didn't know how, I knew he wouldn't want me touching him and I knew that _he _knew it was all I wanted to do. That he didn't touch me was a sure sign that I should do the same, but instead all I could do was sympathize with his pain.

And just as I was starting to realize that the conversation was a terrifying one, you know - the possibility of my impending death, and all - the frustration kicked in. The frustration that Rosalie had interrupted whatever he had been about to say. Maybe he _would _have tried to put it into words - but now I wouldn't know and it wasn't something you could just bring up at any jolly ol' time.

"You _have _to leave now?"

"Yes." He raised his face, it was serious for a moment before the mood shifted again, drastically as it always did, and he smiled. "It's probably for the best. We still have fifteen minutes of that wretched movie left to endure in Biology - I don't think I could take any more on stem cells."

Oh. That's what it had been about. To be honest, I hadn't been able to pay attention to any of it. Not with Edward sitting so close.

I was pulled out of my reverie as I realized Alice - the short one with a halo of spiky hair around an elfin face - was standing directly behind Edward. When she had gotten there, I had no clue.

"Alice." He greeted without looking away from me.

"Edward." She answered without smiling, her soprano voice was almost as beautiful as his. Like little bells. _I bet that's what Tinkerbell sounded like when she whispered in Peter Pan's ear..._it was thoughts like those which made me glad I was immune to Edward's abilities.

"Alice, Vivienne - Vivienne, Alice." He introduced us, gesturing casually with his hand, a wry smile on his face. I smiled back, but was slightly shocked. Obviously she was more supportive about our little...friendship, because no one had dared look at me without glaring and here she was smiling at me.

"Hello Liv," I was momentarily stunned that she knew me by that name, but not surprised. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Edward shot her a dark look.

"Bonjour," I mumbled shyly. She turned to Edward with an excited gleam in her eyes and there was a quick moment where they shared a look, obviously an entire conversations worth of meanings behind it. Meanings that I didn't understand.

"Are you ready?" She finally asked him.

"Nearly." His voice was aloof. "I'll meet you at the car."

She left without another word. She had a dancers walk, something I wished I had considering I had taken it for so long - but no. I was not so blessed. I turned away, biting my lip trying to hold in my jealousy.

"Should I say 'have fun' or is that the wrong sentiment?" I asked, turning back to him with a grin.

"No, it works as well as anything." He grinned back. I giggled, it was more of a chuckle, but more feminine and not at all as jolly or wholesome as his were. So I deem it a giggle.

"Have fun, then."

"I'll try." He still grinned but his eyes had turned serious. "And you try to be safe, please."

"Safe in Forks - A challenge of the Gods."

"For you it _is_. Promise."

I held out my pinky but quickly remembered he didn't want me touching him, so I morphed it into a Scouts promise. "I promise to try and be safe. I'll do laundry. Hopefully that is perilous enough to sate my cravings for adventure."

"Don't fall in," he mocked.

"I am a bit bigger than the trolls who steal the socks. I should survive." When he stood I found myself doing the same and heaving a sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"It seems like a long time to you, doesn't it?" he mused, adding on that crooked smile. I nodded grimly. "You'll see me in the morning."

He reached across the table and touched my face, lightly brushing his fingers against my cheekbone again and I got shivers - not only from the temperature of his skin. He lingered there a moment, his eyes watching my skin with some emotion he wouldn't let me read before he turned on his heel and walked away. I stared hopelessly after him until I could no longer see him.

The rest of the day all I wanted to do was ditch out of classes, or at the very least gym - but a warning instinct stopped me. If I just up and disappeared, everyone would assume I'd be with Edward - and since he was already worried about what would happen to his family if something went wrong, I didn't want to give them any more fuel.

It was an instinct that I knew, as I am sure he did, that tomorrow would be a pivotal moment in our relationship - or lack there of. It couldn't continue to balance, as it did, on the point of a knife. Or fang, if he even had them. We would fall off one edge or the other, depending on his instincts and decision...because my decision was made. He had made it for me the minute he decided to smile in my direction - whether it was conscious or not. There was nothing more terrifying than the thought of turning away from him. It was impossible. He would be the one to break me, for it could never be the other way around.

God, I'm so _gross _now!

I walked into my classes in a huff, upset with my apparent new romanticism. Biology passed in an upsetting blur of fantasies. By the time Gym cam around, Mike was speaking to me and wishing me a good time in Seattle. I was careful when I explained that I had canceled my trip, I was worried about my truck. I didn't want him worrying and talking to Charlie about it, so it was a fast change of track.

"Are you going to the dance with Cullen?" he asked, sulky and suspicious all at once. I widened my eyes, the idea had fluttered through my mind many times but that was not the plan. Or close.

"No, I told you I'm not going to the dance, Mike." I may have sounded harsh, but I couldn't help it. Not only was he being presumptuous, he was being rude and clingy.

"Oh. What are you doing, then?" I hid back the urge to tell him to screw of.

"Might do some studying for that trig test I'm going to fail. I don't really know what tomorrow will have in store for me. I'll probably just concentrate on that test." His face was laced with suspicion, his eyes narrowed.

"Is Cullen helping you study?"

"_Edward,_" I emphasized as I lost my temper, "is not helping me study for a test in a class he doesn't even have. He left at lunch to start the weekend." It was an easy lie because it wasn't actually a lie, just worded differently. I was getting shamefully better at this.

"Oh. You know, you could come to the dance with our group anyway - that would be cool. We'd all dance with you," he promised, almost too sincerely. I winced at the mental image of Jessica's face.

"I'm not going to the dance, Mike."

"Fine." He sulked again. "I was just offering."

"Liar." I whispered to his turned back. I didn't know whether he heard me. When the school day ended, I was unexcited to walk home but not willing to ask anyone for a ride. I didn't want it to come around to Mike and have him drive me, but Edward couldn't have found my key. Then again, I was starting to believe that nothing was impossible for Edward Cullen. And of course, I was right.

My truck sat in the same place he had parked the Volvo that morning. With a shaking head, I found my way towards my car and saw the key in the ignition. "Unbelievable." I whispered to myself. As I began climbing in, I saw a piece of white, folded paper on my seat. I got in and closed the door before I unfolded it. Two words were written in his fine calligraphy:

_Be safe._

I was almost frightened by the sound of my own vehicle - it hadn't been that long since I had driven it, but the sound was so different from the purr of the Volvo that suddenly it barely felt like my vehicle until I started getting into the groove about half way through the ride. I liked my slower speeds and more jerky stops. I liked the rattle of the engine and the shutter every time I took off from first gear. It was familiar and still a part of me that hadn't been lost to the glamour of the Cullens.

When I got home, I called Jessica on the same instinct I had followed with Mike. I wished her luck at the dance with Mike while telling her about the cancellation to Seattle with Edward, but not telling her Edward would be joining me on an adventure he was planning. She was more disappointed than necessary for a third-party perspective and after not wanting to lie anymore, I said my goodbyes quickly.

Charlie was absentminded at dinner, worried over something at work or possibly the current baseball game I could hear in the living room. Maybe he was really enjoying the lasagne - both of our favourites. I hoped it wasn't too obvious I was trying to hide something and butter him up all at once.

"You know, Dad..." I began slowly, bringing his attention to me. If only he were less attentive.

"What's that, Liv?"

"I've been thinking - you're probably right about Seattle. I was thinking I'd just wait until someone wants to join in." He was surprised and concerned all at once. I immediately felt guilty.

"Oh, okay. So, do you want me to stay home?" He didn't understand the father figure he was supposed to be at this point any more than I did, but I knew that it was unnecessary.

"No, Dad, don't blow off fishing. I've got tons of things to do...homework, laundry...I need to go to the library and a grocery store. I'll be in and out all day so you should just go and have fun for the both of us."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Besides, the freezer is getting dangerously low on fish - we're down to two, maybe three years supply. That just will not due in the case of a Nuclear Holocaust."

He smiled widely. "You sure are easy to live with, Vivienne."

I noticed that my name didn't sound the same in his mouth as it did in Edward's. I laughed awkwardly, but it wasn't real. Luckily, he was distracted again and didn't mention it. I felt so guilty I almost told him where I really would be - but I couldn't do that to Edward, so I busied myself with dishes instead.

After dinner, I began on the laundry that I said I would do tomorrow just so that it would be done. Charlie didn't seem to notice the gentle thumps of the drier or the beeping every time the wash was finished. He kept to his thoughts and I kept to mine - all about tomorrow. Anticipation so intense that I was nearly in pain that would then range to a nervousness that ate at the pit of my stomach. I now knew he was dangerous - but I still felt less safe now that I knew he wasn't around. Now that he was off hunting who knew where. I felt somewhat vulnerable now, like I had since I had come to Forks where everything seemed to be about him. Because life _was _about him now.

He cared about me somehow - I could tell by the fact he had yet to kill me and the fact the note which weighed heavily in my thoughts told me to be safe. He did care about my safety which means there was some part of him that cared about me like he said he did. There was a smaller part of me worried that if things _did _end badly, he cared enough to make it as painless as possible...

No. Would not happen.

I sent myself to bed early that night, just because my thoughts seemed to be spiraling out of control and I didn't want to psych myself out for tomorrow before tomorrow even came. By ten o'clock on the Friday night I was safely in bed, but I knew I was too stressed to sleep. I put my thunderstorm sounds on full blast so that it was a cacophony of sound as I cuddled my stuffed animal - which I hadn't _needed _since my first night here.

His name was Mr. Burford Bearkins and he used to wear a top hat until the stitches came out. He was too plush to imagine and he was my comfort. Comfort enough that even in this time of my life he would help me go to sleep and stay out cold.

With everything ready for the morning, I lay in bed. I felt hyper and couldn't stop twitching until I had Mr. Bearkins in my arms, listening to the sound of thunderstorms raging and reverberating off the walls in my room - I was glad to escape the violent atmosphere of excitement and into my own subconscious.

I hadn't had dreams I could remember when I woke up and was upset to see that I had slept in. I had meant to get up at eight so that I had a full hour before he would be in the driveway, but it was now eight-thirty and I was panicking.

I barely had time to notice that the clouds looked like they would break away to reveal blue sky, or the fact the clock was ticking faster than normal. I ate some granola bars as breakfast while I got things ready - clothes in the bathroom, hot water running, toothbrush with toothpaste for faster results.

I jumped in the shower and nearly forgot to wash out my conditioner, it was a miracle that I came out as quickly as I did but there were casualties of me having to turn the water back on because though I shaved my legs, I hadn't remembered to shave my left underarm.

I dressed quickly and swore in French the entire time I towel dried my hair, upset that I didn't have time to make myself look more beautiful for him and upset that I wouldn't look beautiful enough to pass as his ugly friend. I brushed my teeth and got dressed - jeans, a long sleeved white shirt and an aqua sweater. I was just slipping into my socks when I heard a soft knock at the door. I stopped jumping around, knowing he could probably hear it and muttering under my breath when I realized the damage had been done - the Vampire had probably been listening.

I tried to calm my own heart rate as I flew to the door, trying not to mess up opening it. When I did get it open, he stood there with his beautiful face. My agitation dissolved and was replaced with relief - how could I have worried about my safety in his hands?

He wasn't smiling at first - his face was somber. But his expression lightened when he saw me and I thought it was sweet until he laughed.

"Good morning." His chuckle was infectious and immediately made me self conscious.

"I look like a drowned rat, don't I?" I asked worriedly. "I woke up late - you shouldn't have let me sleep in, I would have slept until eleven and I forgot to set an alarm so I c-"

"I'm not laughing because of that," he smiled, trying to am me down. "We match."

I blinked, the statement had not made sense in my mind. I looked at him taking in his blue jeans, his white long sleeved shirt and his turquoise zip-up. Most people would be cold, but not Edward. I laughed with him, trying to hide my displeasure at how he made his look like Calvin Klein...actually, they probably were...while mine looked Wal-mart based.

I locked the door behind me while he walked over to the truck. He looked like a martyr as he stood by the passenger side door, watching me with a blank expression.

"We made a deal." I reminded him with a smirk, climbing into the drivers seat. He scoffed when I had to reach across to unlock his door for him. "Where to?"

"Put your seatbelt on," he mumbled with a pout. "I'm nervous already."

I gave him a dirty look as I did what he asked.

"Where to?" I repeated with an eye-roll.

"Take the one-oh-one north," he ordered me. It was surprisingly difficult to concentrate on the road while feeling his gaze on my face. I thought about mentioning this to him but knew that he would make me pull over and drive himself - and I remember what Jacob said. Do not take it over sixty. Knowing Edward, he would double it.

"Were you planning to make it out of Forks before nightfall?" Edward asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. I glared.

"This truck is old enough to be your car's grandfather - show some respect."

"I'm old enough to be your truck's grandfather. So I pose the question again..." I kept my eyes on the road even though my curiosity spiked again. He did not make a move to say anything more, so I did not pressure, knowing that today was one of those days I didn't want to push his buttons. We were soon out of the town limits, despite his negativity. Thick underbrush and green-swathed trunks replaced the lawns and houses.

"Turn right on the one-ten," he instructed just as I was about to ask. I obeyed silently. "Now we drive until the pavement ends."

There was a smile in his voice that made me nervous, but I didn't dare look because my truck wasn't doing well against the gravel-like-pavement.

"What's there?" I asked, more to myself then to him. Surprisingly, he answered.

"A trail."

"We're hiking?" I asked with a strained voice. He smirked at me.

"Is that a problem?" He sounded as if he had expected this to be a direct problem, which made me more defiant.

"Not at all." The confidence did not outweigh the lie and he chuckled. I just don't think he realized how annoyed he would be if he thought my truck was slow verses how slow I would be if we were to walk - not even walk, _hike._ I loved nature and I loved hiking...I did not love embarrassing myself.

"Don't worry, it's only five miles or so and we're in no hurry."

Five miles. No, not a problem at all...HA. I could imagine all the things I had to beware of. Animals, bear traps, loose stones, twisted ankles, tree roots, humiliation...

"What are you thinking?" he asked impatiently after a few moments.

"Just about where we're going." Not quite a lie.

"It's a place I like to go when the weather is nice." I looked out the window at the thinning clouds and felt my stomach flutter in anticipation.

"I think I remember Charlie saying that it would be nice."

"And did you tell Charlie what you were up to?" he asked. I made a noise at the back of my throat, ready for the hurricane.

"Nope."

"But Jessica thinks we're going to Seattle together?" he seemed cheered by the confirmation - the confirmation I could no longer give him.

"Actually, I said you kinda canceled on me - which is true, if you think about it."

"No one knows you're with me?" And _there _was the anger. I winced.

"Well, I assume you told Alice?" I offered. "So yes, someone knows."

"That's very helpful, Vivienne." He hissed. I bit my lip and pretended I had heard nothing. "Are you so depressed by Forks that it's made you suicidal?" he demanded after I had ignored him. I flushed red.

"You said it might cause trouble for you...us being together publicly."

"So you're worried about the trouble it might cause _me _- if _you _don't come home?" His sarcasm was only one sign of his mounting anger and I found that I had to keep my eyes on the road as they started to water. I didn't want him to be angry with me - I really had done it for his own good. Just in case. I didn't want him to get in trouble with his family just because he followed his instinct - which I know he wouldn't do anyway. He would never allow himself.

He spoke something that I didn't understand - I couldn't even tell if it was English. The waves of disapproval swept over me from the passengers seat and I couldn't think of anything to say to comfort either one of us. He was angry, I was guilty. That's all there was to it.

Then the road ended, constricting into a thin foot trail with a small wooden marker. I parked on the narrow shoulder and stepped out, afraid he was angry and looking down at my tennis shoes so that I wouldn't have to look in the cab of my truck. It was now warm and I didn't have to think as I pulled my aqua sweater over my head and tied it around my waist. I was glad that I had worn the white shirt underneath and knew that during the walk I would even need to push up the sleeves.

I heard his door slam and peeked through my hair to see that he had also taken off his sweater and was facing the forest in front of the truck, with his back toward me. He had done the super-fast thing to be so far in front of me.

"This way." he looked back at me, his eyes still perfectly annoyed as he walked it the dark forest.

"What about the trail?" Panic was clear in my voice as I hurried around the truck to catch up. He did not look at me.

"I said there was a trail at the end of the road, not that we were taking it."

"No trail? No level-ish ground without death traps around each bend?"

"I won't let you get lost." He turned then with a mocking smile and I was so happy that I beamed at him. He wasn't angry anymore - or at least, he wasn't going to let it ruin the day. I tried not to marvel at the beauty that was him - the sleeveless white shirt that was unbuttoned and blended startlingly into his skin. The marble contours of his chest were chiseled into the shirt and I sighed, knowing that the shirt was hiding the body of Adonis. He was too perfect, I realized with a stab of despair. There was no way someone like him could fall for a mortal like me.

He stared at me, bewildered by my tortured expression.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked quietly, a different pain than mine saturating his voice.

"No." I said quickly. "That's not it at all." I stumbled forward at a faster pace than I was used to so that I was close beside him, not wanting to waste a second of what little time we would have together.

"Then what's wrong?" his voice was so gentle that I wanted to tell him, but didn't want to risk him scoffing me.

"I'm not a good hiker. You're going to get annoyed." That wasn't a lie. He smiled, holding my glance, trying to lift me out of my sudden, unexplained dejection.

"I can be patient - if I make a great effort."

I tried to smile back, but it was clear that I wasn't doing my job properly. He scrutinized me thoroughly before shaking his head.

"I'll take you home." I knew he thought it was fear that was upsetting me and was grateful again that I was the one person who's thoughts he couldn't hear. I decided to give him a little insight.

"If you knew what I was _really _thinking, rather than assuming, you'd just laugh at me." He furrowed his brow at my words. "If you want me to hack five miles through the jungle that is Washington before the weekend is through, you'd best go first. You know what they say - it's all in the leading."

He smiled slightly at my use of words that had already been used by the two of us about dancing, but it was strained. He now had no idea why I was so upset. He gave up soon, maybe because he was also anxious as he led the way into the forest.

It wasn't as hard as I had feared. The way was mostly flat and he held all intrusive branches and thistles to the side to protect me. When his straight path took us over fallen trees or boulders, he would help me with a hand on the small of my back and a hand on my elbow - but release me as soon as I was firmly planted. His cold touch on my skin never failed to make my heart flutter and once or twice I could tell by the look of shock on his face that he may have somehow heard it.

I tried to keep my eyes away from his face as much as possible, but I slipped often. Enough that he would come to the rescue and keep his perfect face in view constantly as he held me up and sent my heart fluttering more. He was depressingly perfect.

For the most part, we walked in silence. Occasionally he would ask random questions he hadn't gotten to in the past two days of interrogation. He asked about my birthdays, grade school teachers, childhood fish - I admitted to my abnormal love for animals and how sad I had been to leave my two year old puppy and thirteen year old cat back in Phoenix. I also admitted to killing many-a-fish because I often forgot they were there. He laughed at the last part, a loud laugh that I hadn't heard. It echoed through the trees and made me shiver.

The hike took me most of the morning, but he never showed any sign of impatience. Just when I thought he was going to, he would ask another question so I determined it was his way of keeping himself calm. The forest spread out around us in a boundless labyrinth of ancient trees, and I began to be nervous that we would never find our way out again. He was perfectly at ease, comfortable in the green maze, never seeming to feel any doubt about our direction.

After several hours, the light had filtered through the canopy transformed, the murky olive tone shifting into a bright jade. The day had turned sunny, just as he had told me it would be. For the first time since we had entered the woods, I felt the excitement return, which quickly turned to impatience.

"Are we there yet?" I teased, pretending to scowl.

"Nearly." He smiled wide when he saw my change in mood. "Do you see the brightness ahead?"

No. "...Should I?"

He smirked. "Maybe it's a bit soon for _your _eyes."

"Don't tell me I'll need contacts. First girl in the family? No. I like my eyes too much to stick my fingers in them." His smirk grew more pronounced.

After another hundred yards, I could definitely see a lightening in the trees ahead, a glow that was yellow instead of green. I picked up the pace, my eagerness leading me forward faster than he seemed ready to go. He let me lead as he followed noiselessly - he seemed nervous.

I reached the edge of the pool of light and stepped through the last fringe of ferns into the loveliest place I had ever seen. The meadow was small, perfectly round, and filled with wildflowers - violet, yellow, and soft creamy white. Somewhere nearby I could hear the bubbling music of a stream. The sun was directly overhead, filling the circle with a haze of buttery sunshine. I walked slowly, awestruck, through the soft grass and swaying flowers. The warm, gilded air made me start skipping around and touching the flowers in excitement - smelling them just to remember what real flowers brought to the world.

I turned, wanting to share this with him, wanting to explain to him about how much I loved places like this - something he wouldn't have been able to ask in a question and something I still probably couldn't answer to full extent. He wasn't where I thought he would be. I spun around, searching for him with sudden alarm, I may have even called his name.

Then I saw him, still under the dense shade of the canopy at the edge of the hollow, watching me through cautious eyes. Only then did I remember what the beauty of the meadow had driven from my mind - the enigma of Edward and the sun, which he promised to demonstrate. Today.

I took step back toward him, my eyes alight with curiosity. His eyes were wary, reluctant. I did what I thought natural, smiled encouragingly and held out my hand. I took another step toward him - he held his own hand up in warning. I hesitated, rocking back on my heels.

"I'm never going to be afraid of you." I said it in a breath, as if it were a secret all my own, but something told me he would hear. It was confirmed as I watched him take a deep breath, and then he stepped into the bright glow of the midday sun.

**I hope you enjoyed it. I added a lot more Vivienne than Bella-ness in this chapter. How do you think Liv will react when she sees Edward in the sun for the first time? Let me know what you think :)**

**To my reviewers:**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: Yeah, I agree with you on the whole "bravery" vs "impulse" when it comes to Eclipses 'stabbing self' moment. I am positive I could have thought of a way out of that without hurting myself and bleeding in front of my singer, ha. And exactly, why is Bella so unable to accept that she is a human and all her friends are supernatural beings so yes - they are allowed to protect her when she's no match for the **_**other **_**supernatural beings ready to feast on her innards. And yes - Bella should have stopped being so selfish and just picked one. I understand that it may have been a little harder than 'eeny, meeny, miney, moh' but she didn't have to drag them both through the ringer while she was deciding. It was a good rant. Every time I hear that someone hates Bella all I can do is smile, because that's the way it should be. So I appreciated it. I'm also glad that your sister hates Bella too - all is right with the world.**

_Iavasgil_**: Thanks for sticking through and reading all the chapters, I remember when I used to read fanfiction how much it would suck to read an unfinished story and have to wait for the other chapters to come out. I'm really glad that you like Vivienne and the changes I am, and plan to, make when it comes to her character and this storyline. Thank you for reading and especially for taking the time to review, I hope you like whatever else I come up with :)**

**-Egypt**


	14. Confessions

**Hello there guys! So I know it has been a while since I've updated, but at least now you have a cute fluff chapter to make up for it. I'm really sorry for the delay, I hope to never make you wait so long again, but thank you for holding on to hope! I've noticed a lot of people are putting this on their story alerts and favourite stories so thank you so much for looking out for it! **

**A very special thank you goes out to the original author, Steph Meyer, sorry for bashing Bella and some of your ideas this is just a fantasy. Also a marvelous thank you to my Beta **_Angel of the Night Watchers _**who sticks by me at all times :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen - Confessions

I marveled at Edward in the sunlight. It was shocking. So shocking that my body couldn't get used to the sight, as if this was the first unbelievable thing that I had known about him - as if it weren't real at all. His skin, which was pretty much white other than the faint flush from his hunting trip the day before, literally sparkled in front of my eyes. Thousands of little stars were embedded into his skin as if he were the sky. Edward literally and figuratively blinded me with the beauty of it. He lay perfectly still in the grass, his arms bare. His eyes were closed as if he were asleep, but I knew that he was listening. Listening to my reactions, my movements, my breath and possibly, thanks to my new suspicions, my heart.

I should have known he could become even more beautiful than I had already seen him, but it had seemed so impossible. But there he was, a perfect statue relaxing in the grass, carved in some unknown stone, smooth like marble, glittering like blazing super-novas.

Now and then his lips would move, so quickly that it looked as if they were almost trembling, but when I later asked he said that he was singing to himself - too low for me to hear.

I enjoyed the sun as well, but the air was still too humid that it made the meadow sticky. I would have liked to lie back with him and let the sun warm my face, getting darker like he had told me I so easily became, but I couldn't tear my eyes from him. I stayed curled up with my chin on my knees, enjoying the gentle wind that tangled my hair and swayed around his motionless form.

The meadow was suddenly unnoticeable.

I slowly scooted closer to him, so slowly it could have possibly taken an hour, but when I finally had gotten close enough I saw his chest stop moving. His lips stopped trembling. He just waited, his eyes closed, anticipating my next move. He was too beautiful to be real and I found that just to make sure, I reached out one finger and stroked the back of his shimmering hand, where it lay within my reach.

I marveled in the texture - satin smooth, cool as ice, hard as marble. I kept my hand there and was pretty sure that what I began doing was something very close to petting him, like I used to pet my cat. When I looked up at him, his eyes were open and he was watching me. I liked the butterscotch tinge of his iris', lighter today after his hunt. His quick smile turned up at the corners.

"I don't scare you?" he asked playfully, but I could see the tension in his muscles.

"Does a firefly?" I asked, not expecting an answer. He smiled wider, his teeth flashing in the sun and I was happy to feel his muscles relax more. I inched closer again, stretched out my whole hand and traced the contours of his forearm with my fingertips. I saw that my fingers trembled, and knew it wouldn't escape his notice.

"Do you mind?" I asked, for he had closed his eyes again.

"No. You can't imagine how that feels." I bit my lip to hold back a grin.

"May-" I took a breath, angry with myself because I fumbled. "May I lay down beside you?"

"You can't imagine how much I would enjoy that." He said in the same, relaxed tone that he had spoken in before. I slowly lowered myself to the grass beside him, but kept touching his arms, glad that he enjoyed it. I trailed my nails lightly over the perfect muscles of his arm, followed the faint pattern of bluish veins inside the crease at his elbow. I took a moment and reached to flip his hand over; realizing what I wanted, he flipped his palm up in one of those blindingly fast, disconcerting movements of his. It startled me and he must have felt my body stiffen.

"Sorry," he murmured. I looked up to see his eyes close again. "It's too easy to be myself with you."

"Good." I played with his hand, watching how it twinkled, I held it closer to my face, examining closer but couldn't see where the actual twinkling was coming from - not from the pores, not from sparkly objects on his skin - I even wanted to try and cast the glow onto my face. I had to put his hand down because of the overwhelming urge.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he whispered. I looked to see his eyes watching me, suddenly intent. "It's still so strange for me, not knowing."

"You know, I always feel that way. I could write you a guide, if you want."

"It's a hard life," he agreed with a hint of regret in his tone. "But you didn't tell me."

"I _was _wishing I could know what you were thinking..."

"And?" He asked, knowing the meaning for my hesitation.

"I was hoping that I'd never wake up. That I shouldn't be afraid of a fantasy - it's not a nightmare."

"I don't want you to be afraid. This isn't a dream. Nevertheless a bad one." I knew he was telling me that there was nothing to fear, that he was in control of himself. It made me frown more.

"That's not quite what I meant - you know that one's kind of lost on me."

He moved so quickly that I barely caught the movement as he half-sat, propping his head on his arm and keeping his palm in my hand. His angel face was looming over mine. I might have - _should _have - flinched away from his unexpected closeness. But I was unable to move. Or breathe.

"What are you afraid of, then?"

But with the overwhelming smell of his cool, sweet breath and his aroma that made my mouth water - I couldn't concentrate enough to make words. I turned into a more primal being and instinctively, I leaned closer towards him...

Then he was gone. His palm out of my hand, my eyes too slow to focus on his figure until he had stopped twenty feet away from me on the edge of the meadow - under a huge fir tree. His eyes were dark in the shadow, his expression unreadable and I took a shocked breath.

"Edward I..."

"Give me a moment." He called, loud enough so that I could hear him. I didn't move.

"Edward-"

"Vivienne, _please, _I need a moment."

After thirty long seconds, he began to slowly walk back. He stopped several feet away and sank to the ground as gracefully as a leaf in the autumn. He crossed his legs, his eyes boring into mine. He took two deep breaths and smiled in apology.

"I am so very sorry." He hesitated.

"No. I am. That was so...stupid. I should have known you wouldn't want t-"

"_Wouldn't want?_" He asked in shock. He shook his head quickly, minutely. "Would you understand what I meant if I said I was only human?"

"...No. Not at all." My heart was pumping with self-admonishing humiliation. He heard it. The realization hit me as he grinned wryly, nothing comical in the stretch of lips over his teeth, but rather the same emotion that was making my heart pound in my chest...and his ears.

"I'm the world's best predator, aren't I? Everything about me invites you in - my voice, my face, even my _smell_. As if I need any of that!" Suddenly he was rushing away from me, so fast that I didn't see it until he was back where we had started. Where had he gone in that half a second? Across the meadow and back? Around the meadow?

"As if you could outrun me," he laughed bitterly. He looked around for his next display. Reaching up with one hand, I heard a deafening crack as he ripped a two-foot-thick branch from the trunk of the spruce. I winced. I actually flinched as he threw it effortlessly to the side, shattering it against another tree which trembled against the momentum.

He was in front of me again, standing two feet away, still as stone.

"As if you could fight me off." He said quietly, noticeably more gentle now that he was so close. But that was not reason to accept what was happening. I'd never been more frightened of him - I'd never been entirely frightened of him at all. But I was not used to the _real _Edward. The one with no boundaries or limitations.

"Edward," I whispered, so quietly no one else, not even if they were standing closer than he was, could have heard me. "You're scaring me."

His face flickered from sadness to worry. "Don't be afraid," he whispered, his velvet voice unintentionally seductive. "I promise..." He hesitated. "I give you my word, I will not hurt you." He seemed more concerned with convincing himself.

"You're being stupid." My voice was trembling now and he leaned down towards me, trying to give the look of being less intimidating, smaller, weaker. But the damage was done.

"Stupid?" He asked. "Don't be afraid." He moved so slow.

"Stupid. I _knew _all that...I don't know why you have to be so destructive to prove a point. I don't know why you _want _me to be scared. I understand. I get it. I get _you_. There isn't any more to it."

"Please forgive me," the apology was formal but I could hear him pleading. It made me want to forgive him immediately thanks to his proper sentence structure. "I _can _control myself. You caught me off guard. But I'm on my best behaviour now."

He waited, but I couldn't speak.

"I'm not thirsty today, honestly." He smiled.

"You killed a tree." He looked at me in shock for a moment, not quite understanding what I was referring to, before he burst into laughter.

"_That _is what upset you?"

"For all you know, I could spend my nights hugging trees."

"I know that isn't the case." His smile as dazzling. "So, where were we before I behaved so rudely?" he asked in the gentle cadences of an earlier century.

"No fair." I accused. "You're speaking in older fashions on purpose - just 'cause you know how it makes you even _more _appealing. Not that it seems any more possible..." I frowned, taking his hand and tracing it again. "We were talking about what scared me."

"Oh." He frowned too. "Well?" I looked down at his hand and doodled aimlessly against his skin, trying to consciously avoid hearts and cupid's arrows. Seconds ticked by.

"How easily frustrated I am," he sighed, knowingly. I looked into his eyes, looking at him and his beauty before I shook my head solemnly. "Tell me, please."

"Well...I mean, it's obvious that I _can't _stay with you. And I'm afraid I'd like to more than I should. Much more." I couldn't look in his eyes for it and stayed to his beautiful, radiant hands.

"Yes." He agreed slowly. "That is something to be afraid of, indeed. Wanting to be with me. That's not really in your best interest. I should have left long ago. I should leave now...but I don't know if I can."

"Don't you dare." I hissed, but the oomph of a threat was nowhere in my voice. "I would never forgive you. I just said I _want _you here."

"Which is exactly why I should. But don't worry, I'm essentially a selfish creature. I crave your company too much to do what I should."

"Dieu merci." I sighed, thanking the stars that he couldn't - because it was mutual. Because there was nothing that I wanted more than to have him and keep him...forever.

"Don't be!" He withdrew his hand, slowly as not to scare me again. His voice was angry again and I felt my neck spasm from another one of his whiplash mood swings. "It's not only your company I crave! Never forget _that._ Never forget that I am more dangerous to you than I am to anyone else."

"What is _that _supposed to mean?"

His mood shifted again as he smiled at me, trying hard not to be condescending. Which, in my mind made it _more _condescending. I frowned.

"How do I explain? And without frightening you again...hmmm." Without seeming to think about it, he placed his hand back in mine and without thinking about it, I held it within mine, playing pictures on it like an instrument. He looked at our hands.

"That's amazingly pleasant, the warmth." He sighed. "You know how everyone enjoys different flavours? Some people love chocolate ice cream, others prefer strawberry."

"I like orange sorbet. And that is morbid."

He smiled. "Sorry about the food analogy - I couldn't think of any other way to explain. You see, every person smells different, has a different essence - you mentioned it the day of blood sampling." I shivered. "I was shocked to say the least, so maybe you _will _understand. If you locked an alcoholic in a room full of stale beer, he'd gladly drink it. But he could resist, if he wished to, were he a well-recovering alcoholic. Now let's say you placed in that room a glass of hundred-year-old brandy, the rarest, finest cognac - then filled the room with it's warm aroma - how do you think he would fare then?"

"He'd go insane?"

"Maybe. Perhaps that isn't the right comparison. Maybe it would be too easy to turn down the brandy." I looked to him with sceptical eyes. "Perhaps I should have made our alcoholic a heroin addict instead."

"So I'm your band of heroin?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood. He caught on and smiled, lifting my spirits.

"Yes, you are _exactly _my brand of heroin."

"And here I was, thinking _you _were the bad influence." He chuckled. "So...does that happen often?"

"I spoke to my brothers about it." He looked through the treetops to find his answer. "To Jasper, every one of you is much the same. He's the most recent to join our family. It's a struggle for him to abstain at all. He hadn't had time to grow sensitive to the difference in smell, in flavour." He glanced at me. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about offending me. You won't. This is part of you, so I want to understand. If you have to use metaphors of dying baby goats, do it."

"You really like goats and sheep." He observed, then smiled. When he looked up to the sky, his face dimmed again. "Jasper wasn't sure if he'd ever come across someone who was as _appealing _as you are to me. Which makes me think not. Emmett has been on the wagon longer, so to speak, and he understood what I meat. He says twice, for him, once stronger than the other."

"And for you?"

"Never." The word hung in the air and made me shiver, he watched me warily.

"What did Emmett do?" I asked quietly. His face grew dark and his hand clenched into a fist inside of mine. He looked past me as if remembering the conversation. I answered for him. "So...he killed them."

His eyes looked into mine again, broken by the confession that he had not even made. His expression was wistful and pleading. "Even the strongest of us fall off the wagon, don't we?"

"Do you think some jump?" I asked before I could stop myself, narrowing my eyes at him. "I mean - I don't think that Emmett did or anything. Or that you would, but do you honestly think there's no hope?"

"No, no!" He was instantly disgusted with the thought. "Of course there's hope! I mean, of course I won't..." he left the sentence hanging with his eyes finishing the burning message.

"Well, why shouldn't you? Emmett doesn't regret it, I'd bet."

"No. Its different for us." He explained, his hand slightly grasping mine. I felt my cheeks flush as I looked down to his hand holding mine, softly. "Emmett...these were strangers he happened across. It was a long time ago, and he wasn't as...practiced, as careful, as he is now."

He watched me intently and I swallowed.

"So let's say if we met in a dark alley..."

"It took everything I had not to jump up in the middle of that class full of children and-" he stopped abruptly, looking away from me. "When you walked past me, I could have ruined everything Carlisle built for us, right then and there. If I hadn't been denying my thirst for the last, well, too many years, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself."

He glanced at me grimly, both of us lost in our memories of that horrible day. "You must have thought I was possessed."

"I just thought you were a jerk." I answered honestly. "I couldn't understand how you'd hate me when I hadn't said a word to you..."

"I didn't. To me, it was like you were some kind of demon, summoned straight from my own personal hell to ruin me. The fragrance coming off your skin...I thought it would make me deranged that first day. In that one hour, I thought of a hundred different ways to lure you from the room with me, to get you alone. And I fought each of them back, thinking of my family, what I could do to them. I had to run out, get away before I could speak the words that would make you follow..." He looked at me then, with a look of pain. "You would have come."

"You wouldn't have had to say anything and I would have." I agreed.

He frowned down at my hands, releasing me from he force of his stare. "Then, as I tried to rearrange my schedule in a pointless attempt to avoid you, you were there - in that close, warm little room, the scent was maddening. I nearly took you then. There was only one other frail human there - so easily dealt with."

That last bit upset me. It's not like I didn't know he was capable of such damage, but I didn't like hearing things like that about someone as innocent as poor Ms. Cope. I was glad I wasn't the reason she had died.

"But I resisted." He continued. "I don't know how. I forced myself _not _to wait for you, _not _to follow you from the school. It was easier outside, when I couldn't smell you anymore, to think clearly, to make the right decision. I left the others near home - I was too ashamed to tell them how weak I was, they only knew something was very wrong - and then I went straight to Carlisle at the hospital to tell him I was leaving."

I blinked. "I thought you just ditched."

"No. I traded cars with him - he had a full tank of gas and I didn't want to stop. I didn't dare go home to face Esme. She wouldn't have let me go without a scene. She would have tried to convince me that it wasn't necessary...

"By the next morning I was in Alaska. I spent two days there, with some old acquaintances...but I was homesick. I hated knowing I'd upset Esme, and the rest of them, my adopted family. In the pure air of the mountains it was hard to believe you were so irresistible. I convinced myself it was weak to run away. I'd dealt with temptation before, not of this magnitude, not even close, but I was strong. Who were you, an insignificant little girl," he grinned at me, "to chase me from the place I wanted to be? So I came back..."

"How'd you stop the cravings then?" Cravings seemed like the best term to use, even if disturbing.

"I took precautions, hunting, feeding more than usual before seeing you again. I was sure that I was strong enough to treat you like any other human. I was arrogant about it. It was unquestionably a complication that I couldn't read your thoughts to know what your reaction was to me. I wasn't used to having to go to such circuitous measures-"

"Like being an eavesdropper." I taunted. "Creep."

"I listened to your words in Jessica's mind," he admitted. "Her mind isn't very original and it was annoying to have to stoop to that. And then I couldn't know if you really meant what you said. It was all extremely irritating.

"I wanted you to forget my behaviour of that first day, if possible, so I tried to talk with you like I would with any other person. I was eager, actually, hoping to decipher some of your thoughts. But you were too interesting. I found my attention caught up in your expressions - you have such _vibrant _expressions - and every now and then you would stir the air with your hand or your hair, and the scent would stun me again...

"Of course, then you were nearly crushed to death in front of my eyes. Later I thought of a perfectly good excuse for why I acted at that moment - because if I hadn't saved you, if your blood had been spilled there in front of me, I don't think I could have stopped myself from exposing us for what we were." I frowned, looking down at his hand in my own, trying to find some sort of way to take comfort in that. He bent his face down until he caught my eyes again. "But I only thought of that excuse later. At the time, all I could think was 'not her'."

He closed his eyes, lost in his agonized confession. I listened eagerly, not quite so patient as I had known him to be. Especially now. I knew I should have been terrified, probably told him that I no longer felt safe and I wanted him to take me home and then go back to Alaska...but it would never happen.

"What were you thinking in the hospital?"

His eyes flashed up to mine. "I was appalled. I couldn't believe I had put us in danger after all, put myself in your power - you of all people. As if I needed another motive to kill you." We both flinched as the word slipped out and he lightly stroked my hand, just a few times to show me that he was still tender even through his upsetting story.

"It had the opposite effect." He informed quickly. "I fought with Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper when they suspected that now was the time...it was the worst fight we've ever had. Carlisle sided with me, and Alice." He grimaced when he said her name. I couldn't see why - I adored her for it. "Esme told me to do whatever I had to in order to stay."

"All that next day I eavesdropped on the minds of everyone you spoke to, shocked that you kept your word. I didn't understand you at all. But I knew that I couldn't become more involved with you, I did my very best to stay as far away from you as possible. And every day the perfume of your skin, your breath, your hair...it hit me as hard as the first day." His eyes were tender when they met mine. Quite a surprise. "And for that, I'd have fared better if I _had _exposed us all the first moment, than if now, here - with no worries and nothing to stop me - I were to hurt you."

I was human enough to have to ask. "Why?"

"Vivienne." He said my name very carefully, adding the accent which made my name mean so much to him. "_Alive._" He mumbled again, translating my name into English. My name was suddenly much more ironic and meaningful now. "I couldn't live with _myself _if I ever hurt you. You don't know how it's tortured me. The thought of you, still, white, cold...to never see you blush scarlet again, to never see that flush of intuition in our eyes when you see through my pretenses...it would be unendurable." He lifted his glorious, agonized eyes to mine. "You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me _ever._"

My head was spinning now - how had this come out of the conversation about how he wanted to cause my impending death? He waited for my reaction, even though I was back to studying our hands. But I could feel his smouldering eyes on me, like I had so many times before. I didn't really know how to answer without sounding like some obsessive school-girl, which realistically was what I was. I took a deep breath, trying to gather my courage as he waited, looking much more patiently than I must have been.

"You already know how I feel." I smirked. "Even with your mind reading malfunction. I mean, I'm here aren't I? That pretty much means I would rather die than stay away from you." His hand twitched. "Makes me an idiot."

"You _are _an idiot." He agreed with a laugh. Our eyes met, mine in shock. How many times had he insulted my intelligence now? There was a moment of my insult sinking in before I began to laugh, too.

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb..." he murmured. I looked away.

The L-word. The dreaded L-word which always changed everything and always moulded things into something worse. Nothing lasted long after it was said, nothing stayed the same. Everything took a turn down a darker road or towards a broken bridge - and I was not one for leaps of faith to see if I could jump to the other side of it. I had never seen real love - not with any of my boyfriends, not with my Mom and Dad, not with anything. I 'loved' my siblings, but I really think that my love between them, Arie, my friends - it was just misnamed. Because it wasn't the same as the love you saw in movies. It was something truer to myself. Something that didn't change me.

Love was supposed to change people. Give them a strength they didn't have before. Give them something that they didn't have - and though I _did _feel like I had everything with Edward around, I couldn't say it. I couldn't change what I had so I could hope for something more. Because I wouldn't get _more. _I would get less. And I would be left heartbroken, or worse...

"What a stupid lamb." I finally sighed.

"What a sick, masochistic lion." He stared into the shadowy forest for a long moment. Then, he turned to me and smiled. I smiled back.

"So. Tell me what I did wrong. Why you ran away." His smile faded.

"You know it wasn't-"

"Don't give me that. I need to start learning what I can and cannot do. This," I stroked his hand again. "Seems to be alright."

He smiled again."You didn't do anything wrong, Liv. It was my fault."

"If we're going to make this work, I need to know how I can help so as to make things easy."

"Well..." he contemplated slowly. "It was just how close you were." I winced. That was all I wanted to do. It was not what I wanted to hear. "Most humans instinctively shy away from us, are repelled by our alienness...I wasn't expecting you to come so close. And the smell of your _throat._" He stopped, worrying that he had upset me. I raised my eyebrows.

"Okay. Turtle necks in spring. Check." He laughed, which made me smile.

"No, really, it was more the surprise than anything else."

He raised his free hand and placed it gently on the side of my neck. I sat very still, the chill of his touch a warning - a warning telling me to be terrified. But there was no fear in me. Instead I felt my heartrate pick up.

"See?" His voice was husky. I bit my lip. "Perfectly fine."

But was it? My blood was racing and I wished that I knew how to control that. Like people can for a lie detector. I knew I was making things more difficult and I thought about apologizing because I knew that he could hear my heart slapping my ribs.

"That blush on your cheeks is lovely," he murmured. He gently freed his other hand. My hands fell limply into my lap. I closed my eyes as he held my face between his cool hands, leveling out the temperature of my blush with his icy grasp. It was nice. Like when you put a cool cloth to calm a fever.

"Be very still," he whispered, as if I was not frozen already.

Slowly, I smelt as he came closer towards me, his breath stronger on my face and then my chin, then on my neck. I tried to stay calm. I couldn't tell if I was afraid or if I was excited - but my heart was pounding. Damnit, why couldn't I calm down for his sake?

Then, gently but surprisingly, he rested his cold cheek against the hallow of my throat, which was suddenly more sensitive than it had ever been in my life. I was solid as I could be, trying to hold back breath, pulse, and tremours just with my mind - I failed. I listened to the sound of _his _breathing, smelt his bronze hair which could not be compared to anything I had ever smelt.

With deliberate slowness, his hands slid down the sides of my neck, making me shiver. His breath caught and I whispered an apology. He responded by shifting his hands to my shoulders and drifting his face to the left, his nose skimming my collar bone. I shivered again. His face pressed against my chest and for a moment I expected him to move again.

But he didn't.

"Ah," he sighed, almost reminiscently. I opened my eyes and tilted my head slightly, but closed my eyes again and bit my lips as I realized he was listening to my heart beating - furiously. It picked up faster with the realization.

"_Vivienne,_" Something told me he wasn't just saying my name, but the _meaning _of it. We sat there without moving for a long while, possibly hours. Eventually, my pulse slowed to a normal rate as both of us grew accustomed to the position we had found ourselves. He didn't speak again as he held me, I knew any movement could be too much for him to handle. My life could even end so quickly that I didn't notice. Then he would feel horrible. But he was _touching _me. Breathing me in. Living with me as he absorbed my heartbeat through his skin.

Then, too soon, he let go of me. When we looked at each other, though my heartbeat was slow, I was suddenly out of breath. His eyes were peaceful.

"It won't be so hard again," he assured me.

"How hard was it _this _time?"

"Not nearly as bad as I imagined it would be. And you?"

"Oh, it was just a slice of heaven, no big deal." He smiled.

"You know what I mean." He took my hand and held it against his cheek. "Here. Do you feel how warm it is?"

It almost was warm. His skin had lost it's icyness and had gone to a humans that had been with cold sweat - but he was not sweaty. He was unnaturally soft. But I was touching him again and suddenly, it was all I wanted to do. I bit my lip as the idea hit me.

"Don't move," I whispered. No one could be still like Edward. His closed eyes and stillness made him look like a statue that Michaelangelo would have felt envy over. I smiled softly as I gazed upon him - so beautiful.

I moved more slowly than he did, because I knew there was much more chance that I'd go out of his control than he would have gone out of his own. I caressed his cheek, delicately stroked his eyelid, the purple shadow under his eye. I traced the shape of his perfect, sharp nose, his strong cheekbones which traveled down to his strong jaw. He was so strong and solid, everywhere...except for his lips. His lips held an innocence and vulnerability, a softness and sweetness that only his eyes held when he looked at me. I touched them, biting my lip anxiously. His lips parted under my hand and I could feel his cool breath on my fingertips. I took in my own shaky breath, which he mimicked less than a second later. I wanted to lean in, inhale the scent of him. So I dropped my hand and leaned away, not wanting to push him too far.

He opened his eyes, a longing in them that I had never seen within him before. It was not the primal need for my life that I had seen, but the primal need for _me. _It made me freeze, hoping he would use the urge and follow its signals. He did not. I needed to start expecting that.

"I wish," he whispered raspily. "I wish you could feel the...complexity...the confusion...I feel. That you could understand."

He raised his hand to my hair then carefully brushed it across my face.

"I have time to listen."

"I don't think I can explain even with an eternity to do so. I've told you, on the one hand, the hunger - the thirst - that, deplorable creature that I am, I feel for you. And I think you can understand that, to an extent. Though you are not addicted to any illegal substances, you probably can't empathize completely." He smiled.

"That is speculation, sir." He laughed at me, taking his fingers and touching my lips as I giggled. I stopped immediately, calming myself for him.

"But..." he paused, his eyes intently watching my lip. I was nervous that it would begin to quiver. "There are other hungers. Hungers I don't even understand, that are foreign to me."

"I may understand _that _better than you think."

"I am not used to feeling so human. Is it always like this?"

"Never. I think it's just you."

"Oh." He seemed disappointed a moment and I realized what he thought I meant. "I don't know how to be close to you," he admitted. "That's the problem. That I don't know if I can. That must be why it's me."

"No! I mean, I think it's just _because _of you. _You _do this to me. Only you." I warned him with my eyes as I leaned towards him and placed my cheek against his chest. It was hard as stone, cold even through his shirt. But muscular. Scultpted. Real. I could hear his breath swirling under my ear...and nothing else.

"This is enough for me." I sighed, closing my eyes and melting into his chill. In a very human move, he put his arms around me and pressed his face into my hair. My heartrate jumped and I didn't dare move for a few minutes until he adjusted to it.

"I think you're underestimating yourself. You're doing wonderfully."

"I have human instincts - they may be buried deep, but they're there."

We sat like that for another immeasurable moment; I wondered if he could be as hesitant to move as I was, if he really did care for me enough that he thought the L-word was the only true way to express his emotions. Part of me hoped that it was true, as much as I hated the term. Another part of me wished for more - a word or a meaning that was as rare and ethereal as he was. The chances were slim.

But I could now see the light fading, the shadows of the forest beginning to touch us, I sighed.

"You have to go." He whispered.

"So you lied." I accused playfully. "You _can _read my mind."

"It's getting clearer." I could hear the smile in his voice. He took my shouolders and I looked into his face, hoping he would take the opportunities he missed - stop getting your hopes up, Vivienne. You're ridiculous.

"Can I show you something?" He was suddenly excited. I looked at him suspiciously, the mood change and glimmer in his eye was not comforting.

"Depends, does it have anything to do with dismemberment, needles, or barbies?"

"No," he laughed at me. "I'll show you how _I _travel in the forest. Don't worry, you'll be very safe, and we'll get to your truck much faster." His mouth twitched up into that crooked smile so beautiful that my heart nearly stopped.

"I'm just going to take a swing in the dark and assume you don't mean you'll turn into a bat?"

He laughed loud. A purely jubilant sound - it was uplifting. "Like I haven't heard _that _one before!"

"Uh...you didn't answer..."

"Come on, my inept adventurer, climb on my back."

"You're kidding," I began but he seemed to mean it as he reached for me. My heart reacted; even though he couldn't read my brain like the other people littering the world, my pulse must have given everything away for him. He proceeded to sling me onto his back, with very little effort - for either of us. I clamped my arms and legs tightly around him, not really worried about choking him anymore. He was so stonelike that I felt unstable and like I would possibly fall off if he let go of me.

"I'm a bit heavier than your average backpack," I warned.

"Hah!" he snorted, I could almost hear his eyes rolling, which made me scowl. He was in higher spirits than I had ever seen him. It made me blush into his neck as I leaned as much of my body as I could against him. He startled me by grabbing my hand and gently pressing my palm to his face. I heard him inhale.

"Easier all the time," he muttered, with a smile. He took the time to look back at me and winked.

Then he was off. If I had ever feared death in his presence before that moment, it was nothing compared to how I felt now. He was streaking through the dark, avoiding obstacles like trees and underbrush I could barely see as if he were a bullet streaking over them. I couldn't tell if his feet were evening touching the ground because the ride was so smooth, but the trees were flying by lethally, each just waiting for their chance to decapitate me.

All I could hope was that if that happened he already had a place planned to hide my body.

Then, almost faster than I could believe, the torture was over. We had hiked hours this morning to reach Edward's meadow, and now in a matter of minutes we were back. My homely truck had never looked more comfortable, slow, and safe.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" He asked excitedly, waiting for me to cimb off. I couldn't. I clutched to him, still expecting a tree branch to try and work as a machete. "Vivienne?"

"I think you killed me accidentally," I squeaked.

"Oh, sorry," He waited for me to get down.

"I don't want to move. I'm afraid I'll feel what _has _to be broken bones and bloody gashes and...and..." I couldn't say death, because I didn't want to insult him. He chuckled quietly, gently unloosening my strangle-hold on his neck. I melted into him - wise tactic. He pulled me around to face him, cradling me in his arms like a small child. He held me a moment, a small smile on his face before he set me own.

"How do you feel?"

"I think it can only be compared to what a trauma patient in the hospital must feel after a car accident."

"Put our head between your knees." He suggested, looking a little more worried than he had a moment before. I tried that and it helped a little as I breathed in and out. I did that until my stomach settled itself back into where it should be - your stomach being at the back of your throat was not a pleasant feeling.

"I guess that wasn't the best idea," he mused somewhat disappointed.

"A little warning, next time." I concurred. I lifted my head to look at him, only to see his face light up as he began to laugh at me.

"Hah! You're as white as a ghost - no, you're as white as _me_!"

"You're funny," I mumbled sarcastically. I groaned. "I should have closed my eyes."

"Remember that next time."

"Yeah, next time," I agreed with a grumble. He laughed, mood still radiant. "You're a show off."

"Open your eyes, Liv." Of course I obeyed him. His face was very close to mine and I breathed in, bathing myself in his smell. I was frozen. Maybe that was part of his cool vampire powers - that his smell worked as a paralysis, he seemed to leave me fumbling to move, breathe, or speak all the time. It wasn't impossible, considering everything else I'd seen from his twinkly reality.

"I was thinking, while I was running..." he paused.

"Funny, what happened seemed completely thoughtless."

"Silly, Liv," he chided. "Running is second nature to me, it's not something I have to think about anyway."

"You're _still _showing off."

He smiled at me. "No, I was thinking there was something I wanted to try."

He took my face in his hands again, stunning me into silence. There were no witty comments or awkward conjunctions. He hesitated - not like a man would hesitate before he kissed a woman, he was not gauging my reaction. He had no need to, my heart was stuttering it's own reply that I am sure the entire world could hear, vampire or no. Instead Edward hesitated to test himself, to see if this was safe, to make sure he was still in control of his instincts.

Then, his cold, surprisingly soft lips pressed very softly onto my own.

It was perfect, he had judged it well, but I was a factor he had not anticipated. Blood boiled under my skin and my breath came out in a wild gasp. I pulled him towards me, trying to pour weeks of my emotion into his lips. I was more than momentarily disappointed as I felt him turn into unresponsive stone under my hands.

"Oh my God," I whispered as I let go of him, realizing what I had done. I backed away from him, crawling like a crab as far as I could get in that ten seconds. "I'm so sorry."

His eyes were wild, his jaw clenched in acute restraint. He looked like an angel in a graveyard, watching over someone who shouldn't have been there - and for once, I realized what he meant. What he meant about killing me. The simple image had brought it a lot more clearly to my heart than all his explanations.

Then, slowly, the excitement and hunger in his eyes calmed down. They faded into the gentleness I had grown to appreciate. Then, he smiled a surprisingly impish grin.

"There." He was pleased with himself. I was surprised.

"Are you okay?"

He laughed aloud. "I'm stronger than I thought. It's nice to know."

"I'm glad one of us can say it." He was on his feet with his hand outstretched to my own before I could fathom that he had moved at all.

"You _are _only human, after all." He smirked, raising a taunting eyebrow. I failed to see the humour behind what he meant.

"Evidently." My voice as acerbic. I took his hand needing the support and the knowledge he wasn't upset with me.

"Are you still faint from the run? Or as it my kissing expertise?" How lighthearted, how human he seemed as he laughed now, his seraphic face untroubled. He was a different Edward than the one I had known. And I felt all the more smitten by him. It would cause me physical pain for any sort of separation now.

"Columns A and B." I rolled my eyes, trying to ease my embarrassment.

"Maybe you should let me drive."

"You're just full of wise-cracks today, aren't you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I can drive better than you on your best day," he teased. I narrowed my eyes, so he quickly amended with, "you have much slower reflexes."

"Well, that's obvious _now, _but I don't think my stomach or my truck could handle any more of the experience I just had."

"Some trust please, Vivienne." He seemed to like to say my name, and I didn't mind. I liked him saying my name more that I would care to admit. My hand was in my pocket, curled tightly around my truck key. I raised an eyebrow and shook my head with a tight grin.

"In your dreams." He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. I started to step around him to go to the drivers side. But apparently it was now a game between the two of us and the car key because his arm created a trap around my waist and held me back.

"Vivienne, I've already expended a great deal of personal effort at this point to keep you alive. I'm not about to let you behind the wheel of a vehicle when you cant even walk straight. Besides, friends don't let friends drive drunk." I could hardly think around his incredibly sweet scent. I took a breath of him and hid it so that it looked like it was just to speak.

"_Drunk_?"

"You're intoxicated by my very presence." he was grinning that playful smirk of his.

"I could say the same." I challenged. I held the key high and dropped it into his hand. He smiled brightly at me. "My truck is a senior citizen. Treat him even _more _gently than a human you run through the forest with."

"You were surprisingly sensible." He smirked.

"What? Was I wrong?" I asked, slightly stung. "Are you not affected by me at all?"

Again his features transformed, his expression soft and warm. It took him a long time to answer, he simply bent his face low and brushed his lips against my jaw from ear chin. Back and forth and back and forth, hypnotizing me by the movement. My eyes had closed at the wonderful, cool sensation.

"Regardless," he murmured against my neck. "I have better reflexes."

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**What did you think? I love that little moment at the end, I always feel all giddy and warm when I read it. Anyway, thank you for reading and waiting for me. I love you all! **

**Mass amounts of love go out to my reviewers:**

_Iavasgil_**: Thank you for reviewing, yet again. I hope you liked this chapter, I tried to stay true to the cuteness but add some of Vivienne's sass in :)**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: I've sadly heard that Abduction isn't that great, which sucks, but I'd love to see it to support him anyway. I will have to take a look at those stories, I think I have heard of The Omega, but I rarely read twilight fanfictions anymore - I'm back into my Harry Potter craze. Anyway, thanks for doing this again, as always. You're fantastic.**

_Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967_**: I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well, thank you for reviewing!**

**I love my reviewers, guys. Please, please, please **_REVIEW_**!**

**-Egypt**


	15. Mind Over Matter

**Super update, guys! Five chapters, one day - including a new story - how exciting is that? I hope you like the different chapters, all of them are pretty exciting, if you ask me. This one is full of Edward/Vivienne cuteness and nice differences between Vivienne and Bella here. **

**Anyway, please be sure to check out my other chapters all edited by the oh-so-wonderful **_Angel of the Night Watchers _**who puts up with all my spelling, grammar, and silly plot holes. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

When Edward actually cared about my sanity and kept the speed somewhat reasonable, I couldn't deny that he was a good driver. He was more cool, calm, and collected than I had been - but it might be because while I had had a demi-God staring through to my soul he just had...well, me.

He looked effortless and more carefree than I had ever seen him. He drove one handed, holding my hand on the seat - you could just imagine what I was thinking. Sometimes he gazed into the setting sun, sometimes back to me - my face, my hair blowing out the open window, our hands twined together. It was like a movie.

He had turned the radio to an oldies station, singing along with a song I'd never heard before and knowing every line. His singing voice was more than honey, it was like chocolate, honey, and molten sugar. It was better than anyone I'd heard on the radio and it was more entrancing than any show I had ever attended - which is saying something as I attended a school especially for this kind of thing.

"You like fifties music?" I asked. I take back my last statement, it was like an old _fifties _movie.

"Music in the fifties was good. Much better than the sixties, or the seventies, ugh!" he shuttered. "The eighties were bearable."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you ever going to tell me how old you really are?"

"Does it matter much?"

"I had nine lives at the beginning, please don't make me wait through another one just to find out. I don't know how many I have left at this point." He chuckled and mused lightly to himself.

"I wonder if it will upset you," he wondered quietly, gazing into the sun. Seconds passed. He slowly looked into my eyes, seeming to forget the road for a time. Whatever he saw within them seemed to encourage him enough, but he didn't seem able to look at me when he said it. He turned back to the road, feigning concentration on the simple act of steering.

"I was born in Chicago in 1901." He paused, glancing at me through the corner of his eye. I made a face, to which he seemed automatically curious. "What are you thinking?"

"You missed the Victorian Era, it's the most beautiful one." I basically pouted, thinking of all the wonderful dresses I had seen, costumes I had been placed in. It was the most elegant age in my opinion - the time of corsets, bodices, and full shirts with rich colours.

"You mean the one where the streets littered with lepers and people with all kinds of diseases, children and family living in pure poverty forced to steal and later be executed just for a meal a week, and slavery of those who were fortunate enough not to be hung?" He asked judgmentally without a breath between sentences. I blushed, my face burning hot and relishing how cool his grasp on my hand was.

"That's the one." I acknowledged. He smiled a tiny smile.

"Carlisle found me in the hospital in the summer of 1918. I was seventeen, and dying of the Spanish Influenza." I gasped, the idea of it probably almost as painful as the sickness itself. I remembered history - I loved history - and I knew what it had been. It was known as the blood plague - nurses wore rubber rain boots just to shift themselves through the hallways of hospitals. Blood poured out of each orifice, choked you in your sleep...

"I don't remember it well," he assured me as he saw my horror. "It was a very long time ago, and human memories fade. I do remember how it felt, when Carlisle saved me. It's not an easy thing. Not something you could forget."

"Do you remember your parents?" I asked with empathy.

"They had already died from the disease. I was alone. That was why he chose me in all the chaos of the epidemic, no one would ever realize I was gone."

"How'd he...you know, do it?"

A few seconds passed before he answered. He seemed to choose his words carefully. "It was difficult. Not many of us have the restraint necessary to accomplish it. But Carlisle has always been the most humane, the most compassionate of us...I don't think you could find his equal throughout all of history." He paused. "For me, it was merely very, very painful."

I could tell by the set of his jaw that it was all he would say about that. He didn't want me to guess about the Legend of Dracula and he didn't want me to question about his own process. To be honest, I was a little freaked out and I decided I didn't want to know right now, anyway.

"He acted from loneliness. That's usually the reason behind the choice. I was the first in Carlisle's family, though he found Esme soon after. She fell from a cliff. They brought her straight to the hospital morgue, though somehow her heart was still beating."

"So then you have to be dying to become..." I didn't like saying the word. It was too taboo. He seemed to appreciate it.

"No, that's just Carlisle. He would never do that to someone who had another choice." The respect in his voice was always profound any time he spoke of Carlisle - but especially on this subject. "It is easier he says, though, if the blood is weak." He did not leave that subject to be explored either.

"Emmett and Rosalie?"

"Carlisle brought Rosalie into our family next. I didn't realize until much later that he was hoping she would be to me what Esme was to him - he was careful with his thoughts around me. But she was never more than a sister. It was only two years later that she found Emmett. She was hunting - we were in Appalachia at the time - and found a bear about to finish him off. She carried him to Carlisle, more than a hundred miles, afraid she wouldn't be able to do it herself. I'm only beginning to guess how difficult that journey was for her." He through a pointed glare in my direction and raised our hands, still folded together to brush my cheek with the back of his hand. I bit my lip.

"She made it, though," I encouraged, the double meaning not well hidden.

"Yes, she saw something in his face that made her strong enough. And they've been together ever since. Sometimes they live separately from us, as a married couple. But the younger we pretend to be the longer we can stay in any given place. Forks seemed perfect, so we all enrolled in high school." He laughed.. "I suppose we'll have to go to their wedding in a few years, _again._"

"What about Alice and Jasper?"

"Alice and Jasper are two very rare creatures. They both developed a conscience, as we refer to it, with no outside guidance. Jasper belonged to another..." he paused a moment and winced. "Family. A very different kind of family. He became depressed, and he wandered on his own. Alice found him. Like me, she has certain gifts above and beyond the norm of our kind."

"But you said you were the only one who could listen to people's thoughts!" I immediately began to worry that she had heard mine and in the end, he _had _known everything I ever thought.

"I am." He assured. "She knows other things. She _sees _things - things that might happen, things that are coming. But its very subjective. The future isn't set in stone. Things change." Another subject that seemed not to need to be elaborated on. So - the future changes? It was kind of nice to have something to believe in. Fate didn't exist. Another thing to mark off my list of things to deliberate during math class.

"So...she's a medium? What kind of things does she see?"

"She saw Jasper and knew what he was looking for him before he knew it himself. She saw Carlisle and our family, and they came together to find us. She's most sensitive to non-humans. She always sees, for example, when another group of our kind is coming near. And any threat that they may pose."

"So there are...a lot of you." I breathed.

"No. Not many. But most won't settle in any one place. Only those like us, who have given up hunting people," he thew a glance to me, "can live together with humans for any length of time. We've only found one other family like ours, in a small village in Alaska. We lived together for a time, but there were so many of us that we became to noticeable. Those of us who live...differently tend to band together."

"Which leaves the others to...?"

"They are Nomads, for the most pat. We've all lived that way at times. It gets tedious, like anything else. But we run across the others now and then, because most of us prefer the North."

"Ew. Why?" My bluntness surprised both of us. My eyes widened in embarrassment and he chuckled as he pulled into my driveway. It was very quiet and dark; there was no moon which would have set the stars ablaze, but we were out of the higher mountains now - there were clouds covering the sky, hiding the earlier stars I had seen all evening and blanketing the town in darkness.

"Did you not see me this afternoon?" he teased. "Do you think I could walk down the streets in the sunlight without causing traffic accidents? There's a reason why we chose the Olympic Peninsula, one of the most sunless places in the world. It's nice to be able to get outside in the day. You wouldn't believe how tired you get of nighttime in eighty-odd years."

"I love the nighttime." I pouted defensively. He smiled. "So, is that where the legends came from?"

"Probably."

"And Alice came from another family, like Jasper?"

"No, and that _is _a mystery. Alice doesn't remember her human life at all. And she doesn't know who created her. She awoke alone. Whoever made her walked away and none of us understand why, or how, he could. If she hadn't had that other sense, if she hadn't seen Jasper and Carlisle and known that someday she would become one of us, she probably would have turned into a total savage."

I rubbed my temples. "So much information. I _never _pay this much attention in school."

"I'm honoured." He mocked with a dazzling grin. "I'm sorry, I'm keeping you from dinner."

As soon as it was said, my stomach growled louder than the lions on Discovery Channel. I blushed. "I'm good."

"I've never spent much time around anyone who eats food. I forget." I laughed, opening the car door and waiting to finish the thought for when he had opened my door for me. We meandered slowly towards my step - I was trying to buy all the time I could afford.

"Don't you remember what it's like? Miss it at all? I mean - you can't even remember _chocolate?_" My stomach hissed again, upset I was making fun of it for not being able to eat what I was describing. I tripped over the step only to have him touch my elbow to balance me.

"Sadly no." He chuckled. "You should get inside and have some."

"I want to stay here." I whispered.

"On your porch? This is not the most comfortable of places, Vivienne." He informed factually. I rolled my eyes.

"I mean I want to stay with you, big-head." Ah, so the nicknames began.

"Can't I come in?" My heart skipped a beat.

"You'd want to? I'm just making some leftovers from the fridge." I asked in surprise, finding it hard to picture the elegant Edward Cullen in such a plain, little house. He was more suited for a castle, or possibly near some golden gates. I think the closest ones were in England.

"Yes, if it's all right." I opened the door, fumbling with the keys and let both of us in. As the door began swinging open, he held it open for me. I smiled.

"How human."

"It's definitely resurfacing."

I walked toward my refrigerator, listening as he chuckled behind me the entire way -he must have noticed that I hadn't dared put on the lights to ruin the image of him being _in my house. _It was probably his abnormally strong worry that caused him to turn the lights on that were by the other side of the counter. I raised my eyebrows.

"How did you-"

"I was curious about you." I blinked.

"Did you...are you insinuating that you _spied _on me?" I asked in confusion. It was flattering and I felt myself blushing that I had asked it aloud - obviously I was not important enough for so much effort - and I would never mind were he in the house, he had no need to snoop. He didn't seem concerned.

"What else is there to do at night?"

I began walking back toward the fridge, biting my lip and looking at my feet. I heard the door open and close and by the time I had looked up, he had the lasagne from the night before on a plate. I took it from him with my eyes narrowed, pushing it into the microwave.

"So. How often?"

"Hmmm?" He asked, looking at me as if he didn't understand the question. I rolled my eyes.

"How often do you come here and watch the average life of an average girl?"

"You are hardly average," he argued with a crease in his brow. "Were you so average, I would not come here almost every night..."

"Every n-" I stopped myself, feeling like I was having a hard attack. "What are you talking about - what would you fi - _why_?"

"You're interesting when you sleep." He spoke matter-of-factly. "You talk. And sing. And _giggle -_ it's the strangest thing..." he mused, as if he had forgotten I was there. "And sometimes, the times I worry about most, you sleep walk. But you mostly just talk." He smiled brightly, a glint in his eye that I immediately disliked.

"Oh, _no_!" I had known this for years. When I was twelve my Mom had taken me to the doctor because I had been having so much trouble sleeping and when I did sleep, I would wake up in places I didn't remember being. Once I was on the neighbours driveway. I'd woken up - as I always did - and had started screaming, waking half the neighbourhood.

The doctors had told me that I have sleep apnea because of my tonsils, that I would be able to sleep better when I got them out. After the event with the neighbours, we decided it was time. We had thought it would all go away when I got them out because I wouldn't be as exhausted, but it didn't. It just got worse. Something about having too few delta waves and too many alpha or beta waves...I don't really remember at this point. In the end, instead of waking up because I stopped breathing, I stayed asleep. It made it harder for them to find me in my sleep-hiding-places. It looked like Shawn had it too.

But _talking_? Oh God, Mom said that I could have conversations with her in my sleep. Full conversations! I would always throw things that wouldn't make sense which related it to my dreaming, like have a conversation surrounded by green cows, but they were always full sentences. I put my hand to my head, trying to remember every dream I had been having of Edward and what I could have said during them.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked quietly, having bent down to put himself in my line of vision from where I had zoned out in worry. I winced.

"Depends on if you're upset with _me_. What did I _say _to you?"

"Oh. So you know you have conversations." He said. I screamed in embarrassment - if _he _was informing _me _of it, that means he must have taken advantage of it. Oh _God. _He knew everything - he knew everything about anything I had ever thought about him. He had, in essence, read my mind against my will when I was too dazed to even know it was happening!

"Don't be upset!" he pleaded, taking my hands in his. "You miss Arie. You worry about her and you worry about Katie because you know you're the only good role model she has. When it rains, you fall asleep easier; but when it storms, you fall asleep smiling. You used to talk about home a lot, but it's less often now. You like animals, you want it to be warm so you can see all the animals." He looked at me intensely, trying to get me to understand. "I just wanted to know more about you - once the plow started, I couldn't just let it go without monitoring it."

"And there was nothing that made you want to stay and listen, in particular?" I asked accusingly. He knew what I was getting at and looked away from me.

"You did say my name," he admitted.

"A lot." I finished for him. If he could have blushed, I bet he would have because of that cute sheepish look on his face.

"How much do you mean by 'a lot', exactly?"

"Oh my _God_!" He pulled me softly against his chest at my outburst and shushed me.

"Don't be self conscious." He whispered. "If I could dream at all, it would be about you. And I'm not ashamed of it." I shook my head. "It was sweet. I couldn't leave."

"What else did you-" but as I was about to tear him a new one, we both heard the sound of tires on the brick driveway, saw the headlights flash through the front windows, down the hall to us. I stiffened in his arms with my eyes wide.

"Should your father know I'm here?" he asked.

"Uh - no." I said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But I don't want you to leave. He can meet you-"

"Another time then..."

And I was alone. I seethed. It was unfair to leave me so distressed about what I had said while asleep and it was unfair for him to just leave my arms as if he were taking off shoes.

"Edward!" I hissed. "You'd better stay - I know you can hear me!"

I heard a ghostly chuckle that comforted me, but nothing else. The next sound I heard was Charlie's key in the door.

"Liv?"

"In here." I hoped he would not hear my frustration. I grabbed my dinner then sat at the table as he walked in - his footsteps much more loud than Edward's.

"Can you get me some of that? I'm bushed." He stepped on the heels of his boots to take them off, nodding towards the plate Edward had prepared for me. I nodded and took my food with me, scarfing it down as I microwaved the rest. It burnt the top of my mouth. I filled two glasses with milk as his lasagne was heating and gulped mine to put out the fire. As I set the glass down, I notice the milk shaking in my hand - nope. My hand shaking the milk.

"Thanks," he said as I placed his food on the table.

"How was you day?" I asked. The words were rushed - I just wanted to go to my room. Something told me I would be happier and have more appreciated company.

"Good. The fish were biting...how about you? Did you get everything done that you wanted to?" he asked, shoving some food in his mouth. I tried to laugh at him but it was mechanical.

"Nope. I ended up going outside - it was so nice out." I ate three more bites. Dad nodded.

"It was a nice day," he agreed. It was a significantly noticeable understatement. Suddenly finishing my lasagne, I lifted my glass and chugged the last bit of milk.

"In a hurry?" Charlie was never observant - I wondered how obvious I was being.

"Yeah, I'm whooped. Headed to bed."

"Really? You looked kinda keyed up," he noted. Of course it was tonight that Charlie decided to be observant. I couldn't lie - I knew that - and so would he.

"Do I really?" I took my dishes to the sink, just to turn my back on him. I heard him grunt.

"It's a Saturday." Silence. "No plans?"

"It's the dance, remember? Everyone's out. And I just want to go to my room and stop thinking." He was suspicious but trying to play it cool.

"None of the boys in town you type, eh?" I turned around to face him, not believing my ears.

"_Really_, Dad? Does this seem comfortable ground before you decide to put all you weight on it?" I scolded, I watched as he blushed.

"Well, I was thinking maybe that Mike Newton...you said he was friendly."

"To me, friendly. To my good fiend Jessica? Basically a boyfriend. No way."

"Well, you're too good for all the guys here anyway. Wait 'til you get to college to start looking." It would be every father's dream that his daughters hormones would kick in when she was already gone. Too bad mine were currently doing rapid fire.

"I'm not agreeing to that," I sang as I headed up the stairs. He said a goodnight on my way up that I threw one back in turn. So - he'd come in and check on me tonight. He must have thought I was sneaking out...which I couldn't tell if it was more or less tempting now. I'd snuck out of my Mom's house but had never had reason to sneak out of here.

"Edward?" I whispered as I entered the darkness of my room. I stumbled towards the window, wondering if he was waiting outside.

"Yes?" He was laughing from behind me, so when I turned around I really hadn't expected to see him lain on my bed, smiling hugely. His hands were relaxed behind his head, his feet dangling off the end - sometimes I seemed to forget how tall he was, but he was relaxed and calm, the picture of ease.

"Hey!" I breathed, going towards him and standing at the edge of my bed. I glared at him.

"I'm sorry." He pressed his lips together to try and smother his laughter.

"Just give me a second to understand why you're so insensitive." I muttered, looking him up and down in accusation. He sat up slowly, so as to prove the point that if I didn't like it, it would not happen. He lightly touched my hand but I couldn't tell who he was trying to benefit with it - either way, I know that I liked it far more than I should have.

"Why don't you sit with me?" He suggested, pulling me closer. "Is this okay?"

"You tell me." I was worried about doing something stupid again, on top of that, I was worried that my heart was beating too loudly and embarrassing me without meaning to. I just couldn't help it - he was a new form of intoxication. We sat there for a moment in silence, listening to my heartbeat slow. I couldn't believe that Edward was in my house with my father just downstairs.

"Would you mind if I made myself look...decent?" I asked, suddenly feeling the effects of a windblown face and long hike in the woods. He laughed.

"If you insist. But don't make yourself look decent - that is a step down from the beautiful you are now."

"Stay." I ordered, knowing that hearing more of that was both what I wanted and what I dreaded.

"Yes, ma'am." He made a show of becoming a beautiful statue on my bed, the only thing moving were his eyes as he watched me cross the room to get pajamas and what few toiletries weren't already in the bathroom. I left the light off and slipped out.

I cold hear the sound of the TV from here but I made sure that I made more sound, just so Charlie wouldn't come up to bother me and to let him know that since I was showering, I obviously was not going out. I took a fast, hot shower, not giving it the time it needed to unknot my back. My shampoo and conditioner made my hair easier to weave my fingers through, though it was still nearly impossible. I brushed my teeth of the lasagne a little too viciously - just in case my mouth was needed for any more than smart-ass remarks.

I quickly contemplated going in to get my Victoria's Secret skimpy lingerie for under my real pajamas - again, as a precaution - that my friends had bought me as a joke for Christmas a few years back, but thought against it. Eagerness is apparently unattractive.

I rubbed the towel through my hair and yanked a brush through the dreadlock tangles. When it was smooth and somewhat straight, I conceded to putting on my pajamas. I shouted goodnight to Charlie from the top of the stairs, asking him to give me his towels because I had used the last two and would do a load in the morning - hopefully that would keep him from checking on me tonight.

Edward had not moved a millimeter, he was a perfect statue that Michelangelo would have ogled. I smiled, his lips twitched and ruined the illusion. His eyes, the only other thing that moved took in my damp hair and faded pajamas. "Nice."

I grimaced.

"No, it looks good on you."

"I'm sure I'm an image of beauty," I said sarcastically. "But at least now I don't look like I got caught in a windtunnel." I glared at him. "Thanks for that."

"What was all that for?" His eyes indicated where I had screamed from the landing.

"Charlie thinks I'm sneaking out and being the rebel I ought to be."

"Oh." He contemplated that. "Why?"

"You're the mindreader. Apparently, I look a little overexcited."

He examined me, still across the room from me, before I automatically began to move forward, as if he had summoned me. "You look warm, actually."

I took my time to sit beside him and he sat up to be right by my side. He bent his face low and laid his cool cheek against my own. He hummed in happiness, sounding almost like the purr of a cat. It was very difficult to think and stay still when he was so close to me.

"It seems to be much easier for you to be so close now." I croaked out quietly.

"Does it seem that way to you?" he murmured, his nose glided over my jaw and made me shiver as he took his hand and pulled back my damp hair. I started trembling as he rested his lips next to the hollow beneath my ear.

"It did. I hope it is."

"Hmm." He said in confirmation. His fingers started to trace my collarbone and I was almost in shock - that dazed place that makes no sense because you can't believe what is or did happen.

"So...why...do you think?" I stumbled.

I felt the tremor of his breath on my neck as he laughed. "Mind over matter."

He placed a light kiss on my collar bone and I moved back. While I moved, he froze. I think I even noticed him stop breathing. We stared at each other cautiously for a second, waiting to see what was stronger and if I would be okay - or that's what I thought. His expression became puzzled.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Definitely not." I assured him. "You're driving me crazy."

He smiled triumphantly, trying hard not to sound pleased as he asked a simple, "really?"

"Would you like a parade?" I asked skeptically.

"I'm just pleasantly surprised," he clarified. "In the last hundred years or so," I couldn't tell if that was a joke or not. "I never imagined anything like this. I didn't believe I would ever find someone I wanted to be with...in another way than my brothers and sisters. And then to find, even though it's all new to me that I'm _good _at it...at being with you..."

"You're good at everything." I mumbled. He shrugged, allowing that, and we both laughed in whispers.

"But how come it's suddenly so easy? This afternoon..."

"It's not _easy,_" he sighed. "But this afternoon, I was still...undecided. I'm sorry about that, it was unforgivable for me to behave so. Forgive me."

"I disagree." I shook my head. "Nothing to forgive."

"Thank you." He smiled. "You see, I wasn't sure if I was strong enough..." He picked up one of my hands and pressed it lightly to his face. "And while there was still that possibility I might be...overcome," he breathed in the scent at my wrist and groaned. "I was...susceptible. Until I made up my mind that I _was _strong enough, that there was no possibility at all that I would...that I ever could..."

His struggle for words not only made him seem human, but made him seem closer to my level of emotion. It made my heart swell and I bit my lip. "So there isn't any chance that _now _you'd want to devour me?"

"Mind over matter," he repeated with an overjoyed smile.

"Well," I said happily. "That was easy."

"Ha!" He laughed, almost too loud but something told me he knew exactly how loud he could be. "Easy for _you_." He touched his fingertip to my nose and I giggled, little affections like that always got me good - any ex boyfriend knew it.

His face was very quickly pulled into seriousness.

"I'm trying," he whispered, pain etched into every syllable. "If it gets to be...too much, I'm fairly sure I'll be able to leave." He frowned. "And it will be harder tomorrow. I've had the scent of you in my head all day, and I've grown amazingly desensitized. If I am away from you for any length of time, I'll have to start over again. Not quite from scratch, though, I think."

"You should just stay the night. For both our safety, I guess. Because I don't think I'm safe alone - look at how dark this room is and how many obstacles there are to fall over..." He laughed.

"That suits me. Bring on the shackles - I'm your prisoner." But his long hands formed manacles around my wrist. His laugh was musical, reminding me of an orchestra as it tested it's tuning - one of my favourite sounds. He laughed more tonight than I had ever seen him in all the time I had spent with him multiplied in five.

"You're even more handsome when you laugh," I observed. "I think I'm possibly _more _attracted to you when you're happy - though I didn't think it could happen."

"Isn't it supposed to be like this? The glory of first love and all that? It's incredible, isn't it, the difference between reading about something, seeing it in the pictures, and experiencing it?"

"Completely different. Much stronger. Books have nothing on it - and I would know." We laughed, remembering how he had been amazed by my love of Jane Austen - God I hated her love stories and hated how much I adored reading them. Secretly, of course.

"For example," his words flowed swiftly now, "the emotion of jealousy. I've read about it a hundred thousand times, almost as much as you, I've seen actors portray it in a thousand different plays and movies. I believe I understood that one pretty clearly...but it shocked me..."

"You've been jealous? This doesn't have to do with me, right?"

"Do you remember that day Mike asked you to the dance?" My eyes widened, where was he going with this? It was the day he had started talking to me again, I remembered it quite clearly. "I was surprised by the flare of resentment, almost fury, that I felt - I didn't recognize what it was at first. I was even more aggravated than usual that I couldn't know what you were thinking. Why you refused him. Was it simply for your friends sake? Was there someone else? I knew I had no right not know either way - I tried not to even care. Then that line started forming..."

Edward even had the nerve to chuckle. I scowled at him. "I still owe you a good punch for Tyler."

"That wouldn't be wise." He smiled. "I waited, unreasonably anxious to hear what you would say to them, to watch your expressions. I couldn't deny the relief I felt, watching the annoyance on your face. But I couldn't be sure.

"That was the first night I came here. I wrestled all night, while watching you sleep, with the chasm between what I knew was right - moral, ethical...and what I wanted. I knew that if I continued to ignore you as I should, or if I left for a few years until you were gone, that one day you would say yes to Mike, or someone like him. It made me angry.

"And then," he was whispering now. He looked at me so powerfully I didn't know how to take it. "As you were seeping, you said my name. You spoke so clearly, at first I thought you'd woken. But you rolled over restlessly, and mumbled it more. You spoke of how you wanted me to come closer because you were too warm - and you were. You were sweating. So I touched you - just a finger under your jaw and..." He paused, very concentrated on something he was remembering. "The feeling that coursed though me was unnerving, staggering. And I knew I couldn't ignore you any longer."

He was suddenly silent, probably listening to my heartbeat, it was where he was looking. And I knew Edward wasn't one of those guys to openly stare at breasts.

"But jealousy," he continued. "That's a strange thing. So much more powerful than I would have thought. And irrational! Just now, when Charlie asked you about that _vile _Mike Newton..." he shook his head angrily and I groaned.

"Why can't you leave any conversations alone? You deserve that feeling! I should have known you'd listen."

"Of course."

"_That _made you jealous? Really?" I asked doubtfully. "I mean, it's Mike."

"I'm new at this," he amended. "You're resurrecting the human in me, and everything feels stronger because it's fresh."

"But honestly, you're jealous of _that _after I hear that Rosalie - you know, the Goddess that you see every day - was meant for you? With or without Emmett, there is no competition. It's like running a race without legs or wheels or prostheses or ca-"

"There's no competition." He repeated, but his was final. His teeth gleamed at me and he drew my hands around his back, holding me tightly to his chest. I kept as still as I could, breathing with caution.

"I know." I said with a bitter tone. "That's the problem."

"Of course Rosalie _is _beautiful in her own way, but even if she wasn't like a sister to me, even if Emmett didn't belong with her, she could never have one tenth, no, one hundredth of the attraction you hold for me." He was thoughtful. "For almost ninety years I've walked among my kind and yours...all the time thinking I was complete in myself, not realizing what I was seeking. And not finding anything, because you weren't alive yet."

"Well, you got the short end of the stick." I wondered what it would be like if I _could _hear a heartbeat, I thought as I kept my head against chest. Is this really what had both separated us for so long and was the thing that made it so we can be together? "I only had to wait through some excruciating cold shoulders and glares."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. If you would like, you're right. I should make this harder for you, definitely." That smile was back as he freed one of his hands but still held both my wrists in the other - damn girly wrists! He stroked my damp hair softly, from the top of my head to where it hung low and off the pillow. "You only have to risk your life every second you spend with me, that's surely not much. You only have to turn your back on nature, on humanity...what's that worth?"

"I'm don't really feel deprived of anything - there is very little humanity in the 21st century."

"Not yet." His voice was full of ancient grief. But I could not see his face. I began to question, but his body became alert. He released my hands and with a blur, disappeared. "Lie down!"

I couldn't tell where he had spoken from, but he was very quiet and urgent so I rolled under my emerald comforter. I quickly went about balling up on my left side and into the fetal position - the only way I can fall asleep. I heard the door crack open and waited as Charlie peeked in to make sure I was exactly where I should be. I wanted to roll my eyes at him. I breathed evenly for the long moment and right as I was about to ham it up with some theatrics of my infamous sleep talking, I heard he door close.

Edward's cool arm was around me, under the covers, lips at my ear. "You really are a terrible actress - I'd say that career path is out for you."

"Katie's the actress. We used to make horror movies in our garage. I'm the..." I paused. "I'm the Vivienne."

He laughed, which sent my heart stuttering in my chest. It was almost painful how much I needed this time with him and it was amazing to think that there had been a time I had not had it. That there had been a time I hadn't realized he was in my room for all those hours - with me, but not me with him.

He began humming a melody that I didn't recognize, it was beautiful as he drenched it with his soft, honey tones. I looked up to him curiously, wondering the title and composer.

"Should I sing you to sleep?" He smiled.

"As _if._ You think I can sleep with you here?"

"You do it all the time."

"But now I _know _you're here. It may so happen that I never sleep again."

"You don't want to be like me," he gave a smile weighed with something I that I didn't quite understand. "You don't realize how much you love it, but you do." He chuckled. "You really love animals. Sleep brings it out."

"Oh hush."

"Well if you don't want to sleep right now, what would you like to do?"

"I am no good with decisions. You should make one for me." I prompted. He kept chuckling as he had been, but this time it was more noticeable through his chest.

"I couldn't do that." I could feel his cool breath on my neck, feel his nose sliding along my jaw. I sighed contentedly.

"This could do."

"Did you know you have a very humble, floral, earthy smell? Like roses and lilies. Lavender...but oddly at the same time some cinnamon and rosemary," he noted. "It's mouthwatering."

"I thought you were desensitized?"

"Just because I'm resisting the wine doesn't mean I can't appreciate the bouquet." He whispered. Then he pulled himself away.

"I've decided what I want to do." I told him. "I want to hear more about you."

"Ask me anything."

"So, before you get upset that I'm asking please note I am _really _glad you do, but why would you bother holding back what you are in the first place? I mean, if it's in your nature to...to _not _resist, shouldn't you not resist? It's like resisting the urge to pee."

"I don't 'pee'."

"You don't have to make this complicated." I sighed. He hesitated.

"It's a good question and you are not the first to ask it. The others - the majority of kind who are quite content with our lot - they, too, wonder how we live. But you see, just because we've been...dealt a certain hand...it doesn't mean that we can't choose to rise above - to conquer the boundaries of a destiny that none of us wanted. To try to retain whatever essential humanity we can." I lay unmoving, locked into silent awe.

"Did you fall asleep?" he whispered after a few minutes.

"Of course not."

"Is that all you were curious about?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course not."

"What else do you want to know?"

"Why can you read minds - why only you? And Alice, seeing the future...why does that happen?"

I felt him shrug in the darkness. "We don't really know. Carlisle has a theory...he believes that we all bring something of our strongest human traits with us into the next life whee they are intensified - like our minds and our senses. He thinks that I must have already been very sensitive to the thoughts of those around me. And that Alice had some precognition, wherever she was."

"What about him?"

"Carlisle brought his compassion. Esme brought her ability to love passionately. Emmett brought his strength, Rosalie her...tenacity. Or you could call it pigheadedness," he chuckled.

"Or her outrageous beauty even for _your kinds' _standards." I offered sarcastically.

"This is another option." He allowed. "Jasper is very interesting. He was quite charismatic in his fist life, able to influence those around him to see things his way. Now he is able to manipulate the emotions of those around him - calm down a room of angry people, for example, or excite a lethargic crowd, conversely. It's a very subtle gift."

I considered the impossibilities he described, trying to take it in. He waited patiently while I thought. "So, where did it all start? I mean, Carlisle changed you, was there like...a start? A Dracula or anything?"

"Well, where did you come from? Evolution? Creation? Couldn't we have evolved in some way as other species, predator and prey?"

"Pretty sure that if a lion were to try and turn me into a lion it wouldn't work."

"Fine, if you don't believe that all this world could have just happened on it's own, which is hard for me to accept myself, is it so hard to believe that the same force that created the delicate angelfish with the shark, the baby seal and the killer whale, could create both our kinds together?"

"I'm the baby seal aren't I?"

"Right." He laughed.

"At least I'm cute." He kissed the top of my head. I thought about turning around to kiss him, but he was so relaxed. And I knew I shouldn't make it any harder for him than it already was.

"Are you ready to sleep? Or do you have any more questions?"

"Oh, just a billion or so."

"We have tomorrow, and the next day, and the next..." he reminded me. I smiled, euphoric that he saw it the way I did. That he _wanted _to see it as all those days. That I could see him tomorrow. That he wouldn't change his mind. That he wouldn't run away. That he wanted to commit to me in a way I had never deemed possible between us until today.

"You're not going to disappear with the day, right? You're not a dream even if you _are _mythical?"

"I won't leave you." The certainty in the promise reassured me.

"One more, then-" I yawned. "Just one."

"What is it?"

"C -" I paused. "Nope. I changed my mind."

"Liv, you know you can ask me anything." I groaned. "I keep thinking it will get less frustrating, not hearing your thoughts. But it just gets worse and worse_._"

"Really? I'm glad. I can't seem to reel these things in." I looked up at him with a droopy glare. "Besides. You hear enough of my thoughts thanks to your late nights."

"Please?" I shook my head, trying to look away from his overly convincing eyes before I gave in. He was a cheat. "If you don't tell me, I'll just assume it's something much worse than it is." He threatened. "Please?"

"It's _really _stupid. I don't even know why I care..."

"You just lied to me."

I sighed. "Okay, is it honestly that noticeable?"

"When you lie? Yes." He said with a smirk.

"To everyone?" I asked through a yawn, because he could read minds and now that he knew basically everything there was to know about me. It seemed an unfair judgment.

"To the dust bunnies under your bed, as well." I glowered. He seemed to realize his spell was wearing off. Not that it ever was. So he tried again. "Please?"

"Okay, but I can't look at you." I determinedly looked away as he chuckled. "Okay...you said that Rosalie and Emmett will get married soon...again...is that the same as marriage for humans?" He laughed in earnest now, understanding my methods.

"You're not supposed to laugh!" I accused

"Is _that _what you're getting at?" I crossed my arms - the effect was ruined as I yawned. "Yes, I suppose it is much the same, I told you most of those human desires are there, just hidden behind more powerful desires."

"Such as?" But he avoided my question to ask his own.

"Was there a purpose behind your curiosity?"

"Well...no. No, not at all. No..." my lie gave me away. His face grew serious and I knew I was not going to get a "let's have a happily ever after" from him. Back to my books, then.

"I don't think that..._that_...would be possible...for us."

"Because of how I smell?" I instantly wondered about blood transfusions. Needles and the smell of blood were of no fear when it came to keeping or losing Edward Cullen.

"That's certainly a problem. But that's not what I was thinking of. It's just that you are so soft, so fragile. I have to mind my actions every moment that were together so that I don't hurt you. I could kill you quite easily, Vivienne, simply by accident." His voice was soft. He moved his hand to my cheek and I was glad simply because my blush was overheating me. "If I was too hasty...if for one second I wasn't paying enough attention, I could reach out, meaning to touch your face, and crush your skull by mistake. You don't realize how incredibly _breakable _you are. I can never, _never _afford to lose any kind of control when I'm with you."

I had nothing to say. I blinked back the sleep, trying to keep the conversation flowing - upsetting or not.

"Are you scared?"

"Not at all." It was not a lie, but the sorrow in it was clear.

"I'm sorry, Vivienne." He whispered. "I am curious now, though...Have _you_ ever...?" He trailed off suggestively. I raised my eyebrows.

"Are you asking me if I have had sex?" If he could have blushed, he would have. I was getting to that drowsy state where nothing mattered, so I laid it outright for him. "I'm not necessarily the 'sex is for marriage' type girl, but I am the 'there is a right time' kind of girl. The last guy who tried to rush that time, got a nice visit to the hospital to redrop his testicle."

He laughed at me, loudly - but still with thought of Charlie. I looked at him seriously, trying to hypnotize and mesmerize him with my eyes, like I had seen him do so many time for me. It worked. He sat perfectly still, his breathing precise as if it were being measured. He seemed paralyzed. I was secretly quite pleased with myself.

"You do understand I have never, _never _felt this way for anyone else. Not even close. You do understand that, don't you?"

"I know." He whispered, his eyes still hypnotized. "It's just that I know other people's thoughts. I know love and lust don't always keep the same company."

"Funny story," I yawned, feeling so drowsy that I could hear my words slur. The trance broke as I leaned against his chest. "I don't really believe in love."

"You...don't?" The shock and disappointment were clear in his tone. It almost upset me just to hear how sad he seemed. I bit my lip.

"Not..really? Not like how it's described." I mumbled.

"Explain."

"I mean, love at first sight - getting to fall in love with someone and never have met them? That's just shallow. Or to love someone and never have the other person know, that's obsession. Endless love - that's what everyone says, but look at the divorce rate, the number of cheaters and liars. Unrequited love - if a feeling that powerful _did _exist, surely the other side has to feel it too. I've never seen any of it. Never seen someone willing to take a bullet, willing to walk the earth or give up their world just to make sure that person is in _theirs." _I smiled into his chest, fully delirious. "Except for you, o'course."

"Except for me." He repeated robotically.

"I mean, it's not like...your human instincts...you couldn't find _me _attractive after seeing your kind through all these years. Not like...like _that._"

"I may not be human, but I am a man." He assured me.

"I wish you were my man." I giggled.

"I _am _your man." He smiled. I hummed into his chest. "Would...would you like me to leave?"

"Please no." I whispered. He began humming that same tune and I felt myself jump off the diving board. I was treading water without a hope of staying afloat. I knew it. I could feel my body sinking into sleep as if I were taking my last breath of air before I fell into the sharp water that would eat me alive. His music was the only comfort, the only thing that kept me wanting to swim. The water was numbing.

"Vivienne?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you really believe it possible, after everything, that I don't genuinely love you?" His voice was quiet and strained. It made me wake up a little bit more, enough to realize what was said. I clung to him, wrapping my arms as tightly around him as I could, knowing I would not hurt him.

"Edward," I whispered his name like it was a prayer. The most special thing that I could say. The magic word that would make the door to all my dreams come true - it _was _the word of my dreams. He was the man of my dreams. But dreams were dreams - with love in them. Dreams made people lose perception of the world around them. 'Love' made people susceptible to all the bad things in life because no one really knew what to expect out of it. And why was that? Because it didn't exist. If love existed, people would be able to recount it, rename it, reinvent it so other people could know what to look for. Like symptoms to an illness.

"Edward if there was _anyone _in this world who could make me believe in love, it'd be you."

He kissed my temple. "I will."

I smiled, feeling myself stop treading. "I hope."

* * *

**Well, a little twist there that wasn't in the original plot. Hopefully it will make things much more interesting :) Special thank you goes to:**

_Iavasgil_**: I'm so glad that you're liking the difference between Bella and Liv's personalities. I more meant that when he was doing the (slightly ridiculous) "You can't fight me off" and rips off a branch from the tree instead of being afraid her reaction was "You killed a tree. You jerk." I'm sorry if I didn't get that across enough. I was also very excited for the "you watch me sleep" part and I hope you enjoyed how I wrote that out. I hope you liked it and thank you so much for reviewing, I really appreciate it!**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: Wasn't the Harry Potter movie just fantastic? Every time Draco came on screen I won't deny that I swooned like a lovesick schoolgirl - which I guess I technically am, but the nerdiness was a little more prevalent. I'm hoping to see Abduction sometime this week, but my friend's dog just had puppies so she and I are making sure they're well looked after - so it all depends if I can find the time between writing and cooing the pups. Do I ever miss being in a relationship! Not that the last one I was in was any good - hence why I'm no longer in it - but I definitely miss out on all the perks such as critiquing as if we're pros. Anyway, thank you for being wonderful - hope you don't mind hearing it for every chapter :P**

**What did you guys think? Did you like it, hate it, leave me a **_review_** :)**

**-Egypt**


	16. The Cullens

**Alright, not a lot to say about this chapter. It isn't the most exciting of them, but we get to see how Liv reacts to the Cullen environment. We're getting to the exciting parts soon, guys - and I'm starting to wonder whether or not I should re-do New Moon...it would be **_**very **_**different than the original considering Vivienne would not take Edward leaving just sitting down, I just don't know if I have the readers who want it.**

**Special thanks to **_Angel of the Night Watchers _**for being a wonderful Beta, as always. Everyone give her a round of applause!**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

The light from the window told me that the morning I had been woken to would be a gray one. And, not so surprisingly, that thought made me happy - Edward was in town, then. In fact, Edward had been in my dream the night before. Something about his abilities, his world, his family, _him. _There had even been a scene of my dream where he told me he liked to come into my room at night and -

"Putain de merde!" I sat up so quickly that I fell out of bed, letting out a groan as my tailbone let out a sting that was not appealing. It radiated up my spine and down my legs. Even with the present company, I rubbed my butt sympathetically.

"Your hair looks like a lion's mane...I like it." He was in my mother's rocking chair in the corner, gazing at me in all his beauty. He had that smirk on his face, the playful one that let me know he was probably making fun of me or that everything he said would somehow, twistedly, be a compliment. I would take that, I guess.

I went, carefully, slowly piecing together what was memory and what was my separate dream the night before and rested my head against his knees. He laughed at me. I was glad this closeness did not alarm him.

"Of course," he answered. His hands smoothed out my hair. I grabbed his hand and slowly, carefully made my way to sit with him on the chair, keeping eye contact and all of myself open to feel when he would think it was too much for him. Because when I say share the chair, I really mean that I was sitting on his lap. I knew it was bold for vampire or human standards. But he smiled back at me, maybe the warning I was giving him made him able to stand it. I laid my head on his shoulder, smelling him happily, which made him chuckle.

"I woke up thinking it was a dream and then - well, I was obviously pleasantly surprised."

"You're not that creative," he scoffed, I raised my eyebrows remembering my sisters homemade horror movies and Arie and my tales of romance and lust and perfection.

"I beg to differ."

"Did you know that when Charlie left an hour ago, he reattached your battery cables? I have to admit I was disappointed. Is that really all it would take to stop you, if you were determined to go?"

"Nope. But then he knows I would get anxious and know that he knows what I'm doing. Then the actual _lying _might stop me from wanting to go." I smiled slyly, remembering how I must have smelled. "I need a moment of decency, if you wouldn't mind?"

"I'll wait."

I all but danced the yellow brick road to the bathroom - dance and all. My face was too happy from the face I had seen in this mirror since my arrival - I was too...no, happy surely couldn't be the word. It was a euphemism. A euphemism for a word that I didn't even know how to pronounce in human - nevertheless English - words.

I brushed my teeth and straightened my hair, even splashed cold water on my face to get rid of the blotchiness my cheeks got when I was too happy. I may or may not have even thrown on a terribly light coat of mascara - he would notice but maybe just think it was from the day before.

When I went back to my room, the illusion hadn't broken. He was there, arms wide, waiting for me to come to him. My heart thumped as I all but pounced back into my position on his lap.

"Welcome back," he murmured taking me into his arms. He rocked me back and forth, that's when I noticed his hair was smooth, his clothes were changed into another dazzlingly subtle glamour. I gasped.

"You _did _leave me!" I accused, he sighed.

"I could hardly leave in the clothes I came in - what would the neighbours think?" He mocked. I pouted at him, suddenly liking the idea of playing and focusing on a lock of hair in between my fingertips. "You were very deeply asleep; I didn't miss anything...Of course, the talking came in the fourth stage of the sleep cycle and I left during the fifth."

"What did I say?"

"I was actually wondering if you would decipher it for me, it was something about Arie. And me. Then you ranted about kibbles, bits, and hearts. I couldn't make out half of it because you were giggling and I could hardly understand what on earth you could _mean_."

I burst into laughter. "It didn't sound like 'I heart my Kibbles 'N' Bits', did it?"

"In fact, it did."

"When Arie found out I refused to believe in love she decided that she needed to have a special way for us to say it to each other so that she could still feel loved and I could describe my feelings towards her. We were watching a kibbles and bits commercial at the time, so we added that in...somehow...it all kind of went downhill from there."

"So, are you telling me that - for lack of better word - you _love _me?"

"I am saying that I heart you. Meaning my most valuable organ belongs to you."

"For now, I will accept that. I guess I should take what I get." He smiled at me. "But you should remember that when I say this, I mean it - _I love you _- and it's true. I didn't know I could before you entered my existence."

"Oh, Edward," I cuddled into him so that I could hide my blush.

"You are my life now."

There was nothing else that needed to be said. It was enough for the time being and we were both happy as we held each other through the silence. But eventually, it had to be broken and he decided that he wanted to do so by smiling at me.

"Breakfast time," he said casually - probably only to prove that he still remembered the needs of a human. Not that something like that mattered to me anymore.

"I'd really prefer if you didn't bring any dead woodland animals into the house." He frowned at my lack of appropriate humour.

"Breakfast time for the human." I was about to argue, which he noticed immediately, and in result I ended up slung over his shoulder. I cried out and yelled at him brutally as he carried me down the stairs without so much as an acknowledgment that I was hanging off of him. He put me in a chair to which I rolled my eyes.

"Hm. And what's for breakfast cap-i-tan?" He was thrown off and I was not so secretly thrilled with myself. I knew he wouldn't remember how to _cook. _And no matter how much cafeteria food and questions he could ask me, he did not know what I liked to eat for breakfast.

"Er, I'm not sure. What would you like?"

"Eggs benedict." He gave me a startled look, possibly unsure of what it was. "Alright, alright I'm kidding. I just wanted to see that look on your face. But seriously - I can cook for myself. I'm not going to make you do it. You'll just get jealous and then burn the house down."

As I went to find the bagels in the cupboard I was pleased to see we had cheese buns. I yanked one out, almost positive that if Edward weren't here, I would have taken two.

"Can I get you anything? Just don't ask for any of my pets. Honestly. That would be rude." I pushed the bagel into the toaster and put the toaster on. I'd probably just butter it today, cream cheese would overpower the real cheese in the bread.

"Just eat, Vivienne." He rolled his eyes at me. I watched him with a roll of my own eyes, mumbling something about how he was a kill-joy just to see him smile again. I waited patiently for my bagel, as did he, and when I had buttered it and sat back down he crossed his arms on the table, examining me.

"What's on the agenda for today?" I asked. "No grizzly bear wrestling, I hope."

"Not today." He smiled. I watched him frame his answer carefully. "What would you say to meeting my family?"

I halted in taking a bite.

"Are you afraid now?" This time he was not hopeful when he said it, but fearful himself. I shook my head but I _was _the worst liar on the planet. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"Oh, I'm not afraid of _that._" I scoffed.

"Then what do you have to be afraid of?"

"I'm afraid they'll be all 'ah, Edward brought a human! What is he thinking, look how gross she is!' not 'ah, Edward brought a human! Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!' I mean," I smiled, in control of myself after my outburst. "Your family is far too polite for _that_. But the thoughts will still hurt both of us – mind reader or not."

"They already know everything and have hoped to meet you. They'd taken bets yesterday, you know, on whether I'd bring you back, though why anyone would bet against Alice I can't imagine. At any rate, we don't have secrets in the family. It's not really feasible, what with my mind reading and Alice seeing the future and all that."

"And Jasper making you feel warm and fuzzy about spilling your deepest, darkest secrets."

"You paid attention," he smiled.

"So you want me to be added to the list of people who don't keep secrets in your household simply because I _can't _physically keep myself from saying them when someone asks?" I frowned, even though it was an obvious show.

"It would be nice."

I grimaced for real this time and took another bite of my bagel, becoming thoughtful quickly. I hope I hadn't been around Edward so long that his mood swings were transferring to me. "So, did Alice see me coming?"

"Something like that," he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He looked around the room for something that could steal my attention away. "Is that any good?" he asked with a teasing look on his face. My bagel was only a quarter eaten. "Honestly, it doesn't look very appetizing."

"Well, it's no mewing mountain lion, but I guess it will have to do."

He glowered and as did I. I was not pleased he was keeping something from me after everything we had told each other the day and night before. It made me suspicious that he wouldn't tell me something about _Alice _of all people - since she was the girl who saw the future. But soon enough he was smiling his heartbreaking smile at me and all suspicions were forgotten.

Clever.

"And you should introduce me to your father, too, I think."

"Nah. He knows you already." I shoved a whole quarter of the bagel in my mouth at once.

"As your boyfriend, I mean."

You mean as a shooting target, I mentally corrected. "Why?"

"Isn't that customary?" he asked innocently.

"No." I hissed. "I'm pretty sure my Dad doesn't even know I've had a boyfriend." I lowered my eyes and picked another small piece off my bagel, but did not eat it. "Besides, you don't need to pretend, or anything. Boyfriend isn't...I don't need a title for my affections."

"I am not pretending." He smiled, but I remained unconvinced.

"Are you going to tell Charlie I'm your boyfriend or not?" He asked with a sigh. I raised my eyebrows at my bagel, almost as if it had spoken to me instead of him.

"Is that what you are? Really?" It was nice to hear, very comforting and heart warming, but I didn't necessarily find it true. And a lot of complications came as soon as I stuck that title to someone - such as the L-bomb. Even though that one had already been detonated. But to think of Charlie meeting him? Something tells me it would be worse than when my Mom took homecoming pictures with Asher - but on an entirely different plain.

"It's a loose interpretation of the word 'boy', I'll admit."

"I mean - we're not really your regular couple. The whole already having each other's hearts after our first day together and the fact that each time you're around me I cause you physical pain and mental exhaustion, while every time you're _not _around me you cause me physical pain and mental exhaustion definitely complicates things..."

"Well, I don't know if we need to give him all the gory details." He lifted my chin with a gentle finger under my very stubborn jaw. "But he will need some explanation for why I'm around here so much. I don't want Chief Swan getting a restraining order on me."

"You're serious? You'll stick around?"

"As long as you want me," he assured. I made a pretend grimace and sucked air through my teeth.

"Oh, that sucks for you. That's an awfully long time to sit around and watch me be awkward." He smiled, cradling my cheek with his hand. I leaned into it. "I'll want you forever, you know...does that upset you?"

It did. I could tell. I could tell because of his stare, the one that looked like he wanted to run away just so that I wouldn't be put in harms way. He looked over at my bagel.

"Are you finished?"

I shoved the last quarter in my mouth. "Now I am."

"Get dressed - I'll wait here."

It was hard knowing what I should wear. When I had met boyfriends parents before they had always known me so it was much more casual, but now was a completely different story. I had never seen Mrs. Cullen, had only met Dr. Cullen after an accident where I should have died and had never been formally introduced to anyone but Alice - which had been very brief.

This family had money. Lots of money, so I didn't think my trendy art stained clothes that I had created myself would really fit in, nor did I think that any of my Mom's hand-knit sweaters would cast a glow about me. Because these people, on top of not knowing me and being extraordinarily rich were even _more _beautiful. What a conundrum.

I thought about a denim skirt that usually looked really good on me - but I had far too much chub around my knees to look good in it around them. Especially if Rosalie was there. I don't think I need my confidence shot down. To hide my thicker thighs and my chubby knees, I put on leggings that went just an inch past the bottom of my knee. Since they were so formfitting, I put on one of those droopy tops with long bell sleeves that showed no definition between the torso and the sleeves. It went down past my butt so it didn't show off too much of my curves. It was also in emerald, which brought out the six green specks I had in my eyes: four in one, two in the other.

I couldn't deny myself my true nature of colourful mix matched socks and a black bangle bracelet. I clipped half my hair back so that it was out of my face - and not nearly as bedheaded.

Overall, I was pleased by the glamour and casualty of it.

"Okay. I'm decent." Jut as I was going down the last few stairs I tripped and basically crashed into him. It hurt me more than him for even as he steadied me, my shoulder had hit his. It really _was _hard as rock.

"Wrong again," he murmured in my ear. "You are utterly indecent - no one should look so tempting, it's not fair."

"Oh, I could change if you're worried the pretty vampires are going to catch your head trauma and fall for the stupid little mortal-" I began sarcastically.

"You are so absurd." He sighed shaking his head and kissed my forehead gently, I shivered.

"You are so taunting." I fired back.

"Shall I explain how you are tempting me?" he asked. It was rhetorical, I could tell. His fingers were tracing down my spine as he said it and his breath was hitting my face more rapidly than it needed to. It must have been habit rather than need. My skin was tingling in anticipation for something that - he looked down at my lips; he was going to kiss me. It was gentle as he almost rested his lips against mine for the second time, just as softly as the first. This time I pulled away quickly.

"Vivienne?"

"The first time," I jumped around, shaking out my tingling skin. "I attacked you. So this time I stopped myself but now everything tickles because you are completely cruel and do this thing where my skin basically aches for you and it feels," I rubbed at my arms, "weird."

"What am I going to do with you?" He chuckled. "Yesterday I kiss you and you attack me. Today you jump away as if I'm poison."

"Not poison. It's like I'm jonesing." I rubbed my neck.

"Jonesing?"

"You called me your heroin? Yeah. You're mine. Jonesing is when you crave a fix." I griped my hands together and let them go multiple times over.

"How do you know that?" He asked with a grimace.

"I watch a lot of movies. Requiem For A Dream - classic." I grimaced. _Shivers_...

"So much for being good at everything," he sighed. I smiled at him.

"Now what you don't see is that is the problem in itself." I bit my lip. "I'm okay."

"I can't take you anywhere like this."

"I'm good." I insisted, though I don't know why. Technically, I was kind of getting an out. "Your family already does, or will, think I'm a freak, why delay it?"

"That is your favourite colour, isn't it?" He measured my expression. I shrugged, letting him know he was right but playing coy about it.

"Can we just go before I remember what I'm doing and have a panic attack?"

"Do you have panic attacks?" He asked with wide eyes and a tilt to his head. I swallowed thickly.

"Let's hope you never have to find out."

"So you're worried, not because you're headed to meet a houseful of vampires, but because you think those vampires won't approve of you, correct?" He asked with a smirk.

"Pretty much sums it up."

"You're incredible." He insulted.

"Thank you." I smiled and took it as a compliment anyway.

As we passed the town of Forks and made it into the country near the Calawah River bridge, the houses began to have longer distances between them until it seemed like there were no houses in sight at all. I began doubting that the area they lived in could even be considered Forks, and wondered how long we would travel North before Edward took a sharp right onto an unpaved road. I glared at him - he had done that just to show off his 'driving skills' which I then mocked should be called 'driving kills'.

The unpaved road was unmarked and barely visible among the shrubbery and I quickly wondered if they had wanted it to be that way. The forest look like it was a waterfall of green collapsing from above us on either side of the road. I breathed in a breath of wonder at the sight of it. Edward grinned and took my hand.

After a few miles of serpent twists in the road around the ancient trees, the woods began to thin. Behind the trees someone had taken the time to keep the grass properly clean and tidy in the middle of the forest...no, no that was a front yard. My stomach tightened. We were here.

I don't really know what was to be expected of a house owned by a group of vampires, but what I saw was definitely not it. It was one of those houses that would never look old or out of style - modern but obviously well over one hundred years old. It was a soft white, like melted ice cream, three stories tall, rectangular and more of a mansion than a home. The windows didn't have any fingerprints staining them and they were large. The windows would have opened up the interior of the house to me were the sun not behind us and glinting off of them. I could hear a river in the distance of the trees, and I could not see any of the attractive cars that I so often saw in the school parking lot.

"Wow." I breathed.

"You like it?" He smiled, he sounded very proud of himself. He pushed some of the hair over my shoulder to lay on my back, he gazed at my shoulder with some thought in his head that I did not want him to admit to while I knew others may hear us.

"It's only like walking through the more relaxed cloud ten when you're on your way to cloud nine - that's the party cloud. And on the party cloud you get t-"

"Ready?" I took a deep breath and touched his arm to thank him from stopping my nervous ranting. He chuckled.

"Not at all. This is when you usher me in anyway. Hurry now, before I change my mind and run for the hills." He smiled, taking my hand. I took my free hand and made sure my hair was in place.

"You look lovely." He assured me, walking up the steps of the porch. He felt my tension and started rubbing soothing circles into the back of my hand as he opened the door for me.

The inside was more surprising than the outside of the house. It was very bright, very open, very large - even more so than it looked from the front. There were very few walls on this floor, which left it very open and light. The back wall, facing the south, had been replaced with glass so you could see how the lawn stretched all the way to the wide river that was rushing behind the house. The staircase was huge and spun up to the higher levels. The walls were creamy, the high beamed ceiling made with a red tinted wood that was not cherry for it was too lightly stained, this hardwood also adorned the floor where there wasn't any plushy white carpet.

I saw Edward's parents immediately after my examination of the room. Dr. Cullen was just as I remembered him, but even then I was amazed by how handsome and young he appeared. At his side was who I had to assume was his wife, Esme. She was the only one I had never seen, so it seemed to fit the bill. She had the same features - pale skin, topaz eyes, an unearthly beauty. She had a heart shaped face, with caramel coloured curls, I could not tell if they were natural - then again, did Vampires need to curl their hair? Another question to put in the bank with the rest of them. The two were dressed casually, in light colours that suited the house. They smiled at me in welcome, but did not approach.

I was relieved when Edward's voice broke the silence, as I should have predicted the beauty of the vampires had struck me speechless yet again.

"Carlisle, Esme, this is Vivienne Swan." He smiled warmly as his eyes fell on me. "And this little one isn't afraid of anything."

I blushed.

"You are very welcome, Vivienne." Carlisle had put the accent on my name too, it was again wonderful to hear. He raised his hand tentatively, still unsure of himself. I grasped it firmly and his smile widened when he saw I indeed, was not afraid, but merely anxious.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen."

"Please, call me Carlisle."

"Carlisle," I corrected, my confidence increasing. Edward was immediately relieved and I could feel his tension release.

Esme smiled and stepped forward then, reaching for my hand. Her cold, stone grasp was as I expected, but somehow even more tender than Carlisle's. It took me a moment to recognize that it held love - much like Edward's touches.

"It's very nice to know you," she said sincerely. I found myself instantly warm to her.

"Thank you. It's really nice to meet you. I have never heard a bad word about you." But that was a lie. Jessica foolishly had said those rude things the first day as if they were insults. Those had not been kind. But it was okay, I had shot them down and shot her down with them. I looked at Edward who smiled at me brightly - it seemed he was thinking the same things.

"Where are Alice and Jasper?" Edward asked, but no one answered, as they had appeared at the top of the staircase as he said it.

"Hey, Edward!" Alice called enthusiastically. She ran down the stairs, a blur that I could not follow with my measly human eye, coming to a sudden graceful stop in front of me. I started not from the movement itself but the smile on her face. Carlisle and Esme were warning her with their eyes of something I couldn't imagine. I liked it. It made me know they were comfortable around me.

"Hi, Liv!" Alice said, she bounced forward to kiss my cheek. Everyone looked staggered, even me who was trying very hard to be calm about anything that they were going to throw at me. But a kiss on the cheek from someone I'd only met in the halls? Vampire or not, it was strange. But in the end, I was just glad she liked me. I was startled when Edward stiffened at my side and when I glanced at him I could not read his expression.

"You do smell nice, I never noticed before," she commented. I flushed.

"Not a day goes by where I don't hear it anymore." Everyone let out a nervous chuckle, except for Alice who beamed. No one else really knew what to say about it.

I knew it was the tall and leonine Jasper who gave me the immediate feeling of ease and comfort. Edward stared at Jasper with a raised eyebrow, reading his thoughts to find out what emotion of mine he was masking.

"Hello, Liv." Jasper said. He kept his distance, not offering to shake my hand like all the others had. I nodded to him and smiled, knowing what it was like to be the one left out, or to be the awkward one. I tried not to make him more uncomfortable than he already was by not dwelling on it.

"Hello, Jasper." I smiled at him, then everyone else. "It's really nice to meet you all. You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you, we're so glad you came." Esme spoke with such feeling that it took me a moment to understand where it stemmed from: she thought I was being brave. At the moment I had that realization, I also realized that Rosalie and Emmett were not there and remembered how they _definitely _weren't on Team Vivienne.

I noticed that Carlisle was intensely looking in Edward's direction and as my eyes flickered towards them, I saw him nod once. Listening to his thoughts? I blushed and gave them some privacy by looking away.

My eyes landed on a beautiful instrument I had barely even taken notice to on the platform by the door. It was a beautiful, hand built, well kept grand piano. It was my dream to have one. In fact, a baby grand - I thought they held a more humble sound. But in a house like _this _where the piano would have proper room to resonate, it would sound just as innocent. I bit my lip, my fingers itching.

Esme noticed at once.

"Do you play?" she asked, inclining her head towards the piano. I flushed.

"I...I used to. I haven't really played since I moved here. Charlie doesn't have a piano and keyboards just don't cut it and the school is so small that it doesn't have any practice rooms so I-"

"Calm." Edward touched my hand and whispered to me, even though I was sure his family heard as they smiled. I was rambling again. "You never told me you could play the piano."

"It was one of the very few things you never asked. I _did _go to an art school mostly in performance." I grinned cheekily. "It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? Is it yours?" I asked Esme, who was looking at me with a smile that I didn't quite understand.

"No," she laughed. "Edward didn't tell you he was musical?"

"No." I glared at his suddenly innocent expression.

"It was one of the very few things you never asked," he repeated with a smile. I narrowed my eyes knowing I would never have the courage to play it now.

"I should have known, I guess. Edward can do everything." Jasper snickered and Esme gave Edward a remarkably motherly look that I hadn't received from my mother in all my life.

"I hope you haven't been showing off - it's rude," she scolded.

"Just a bit," he laughed freely. Her face softened at the sound of it, as did mine. They shared a look I couldn't understand but I instantly looked away when I recognized that it was most certainly about me.

"He's usually pretty modest and sweet." I said, looking to Jasper who had snickered. "Except for when he talks about my driving."

"You each should play something." Esme encouraged, looking over to the piano for emphasis. My eyes widened, but no one seemed to pay attention to my overwhelming look of fear.

"You just said showing off is rude." He objected, looking a little sheepish himself.

"There are exceptions to every rule," she replied.

"I'd like to hear you play," I volunteered.

"I would like to hear _you _play," he fired back. I recoiled at once, knowing I had been beaten. I was not in the mood to play for people who I'm sure could have had no experience at all and still be able to play something by ear that took me weeks to learn.

"Oh! Play something together, that would be so romantic!" Alice chimed.

"I'm sure that he's much better and wouldn't want me ruining it," I said, taking a step back towards the door. Maybe I could make a run for it? I'd never escape, but they may take the dramatic act as a sign this was a mistake. But who was I kidding? Obviously I wasn't getting out of it. I was doomed.

I let Edward steer me onto the bench beside him.

"I'll play first." He gave me a long exasperated look before he turned to the keys, prepping himself with remarkably accurate piano technique. I watched in complete fascination and awe as his fingers poured over the keys as if it were as natural to him as breathing was to me. I felt my chin drop and I heard people chuckle. Edward looked at me casually, able to do it without effort as he had the piece memorized in his mind and fingers. "Do you like it?"

There was a moment where I understood why he asked. "You wrote it."

"It's Esme's favourite."

I closed my eyes, nodding my head. "I see why."

"What's wrong?" He could tell things far too easily and I opened my eyes at once, trying not to worry him.

"I'm feeling extremely insignificant and I think I've decided I want to quit piano." The music stopped abruptly. He shook his head.

"You have to play. I haven't heard you as of yet, but I'd wager you're magnificent. I never linked the fact that you went to an arts school with the idea you would have learned orchestral music. I just thought you listened to it. Piano is so calming." He turned back to the piano. "This one was inspired by you."

The music that spilled from his fingertips was recognizably the lullaby he had hummed me the night before. The music was unbearably sweet and I felt my heart stuttering again. It stuttered more when I realized that the whole house would know what I was currently feeling for the bronze-haired beauty of the family.

"Edward, it's..." I couldn't find the words. "It's perfect."

"They like you, you know," he said conversationally. "Esme especially."

I looked around to see that they had all disappeared. "Where did they go?"

"Very subtly giving us privacy. Except for Alice, who is hiding in the next room. They're all still waiting to hear you play." He looked at me with a smirk. "As am I."

"_They _are. Rosalie and Emmett can't even be in the same house as me." I frowned. He did the same, looking at me with those intense eyes of his.

"Don't worry about Rosalie, she'll come around."

"Mm." I mumbled doubtfully. "And Emmett?"

"Well, he thinks _I'm _a lunatic, it's true, but he doesn't have a problem with you. He's trying to reason with Rosalie." I furrowed my brow.

"Why does she hate me? It was from the first day, wasn't it? I remember her glaring at me at lunch - I remember thinking 'if looks could kill'..."

He sighed deeply. "Rosalie struggles the most with...with what we are. It's hard for her to have someone on the outside know the truth. And she's a little jealous."

"Funny." I snorted. He did not take it back. "No way. _Rosalie _cannot be jealous of someone like _me_."

I couldn't even imagine it. What was there to be jealous of?

"You're human." He shrugged. "She wishes that she were, too."

"Oh." I realized. "But Jasper-"

"That's really my fault," he winced. "I told you he was the most recent to our way of life. I warned him to keep his distance."

I thought about the reason as to why that was necessary and tried to hold back my shiver. "What about Carlisle and Esme?"

"They are happy to see me happy. Actually, Esme wouldn't care if you had a third eye and webbed feet. All this time she's been worried about me, afraid that there was something missing from my essential makeup, that I was too young when Carlisle changed me...she's ecstatic. Every time I touch you, she just about chokes with satisfaction."

"Alice seems...enthusiastic. I like her."

I heard a squeak from the other room.

"Alice has her own way of looking at things." He said with tight lips. I rolled my eyes.

"And that's another Edward mystery." There was a moment of silence when he finished the song and we looked at each other. He realized, then, that I knew he was keeping something from me. I realized that he still didn't plan to give anything away. Not yet.

"So, what was Carlisle telling you before?"

He laughed. "You notice everything, don't you?"

"I didn't notice the piano as I walked in."

He looked at me thoughtfully for a few seconds before answering. "He wanted to tell me some news - he didn't know if it was something I would share with you."

"And...you won't?"

"I have to, because I'm going to be a little...overbearingly protective over the next few days - or weeks - and I wouldn't want you to think I'm naturally a tyrant." I snorted.

"Yeah-huh. Sure." I saw he was being serious and sobered up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, exactly. Alice just sees some visitors coming soon. They know we're here, and they're curious."

"Visitors?" I repeated. He nodded. "Visitors meaning other vampires?"

"Yes...well, they aren't like us, of course - in their hunting habits, I mean. They probably won't come into town at all, but I'm certainly not going to let you out of my sight until they're gone." He scooted away from me a tad. I shivered.

"Finally, a rational response!" He rejoiced. "I was beginning to think you had no sense of self-preservation at all."

I rolled my eyes, looking at the piano in front of me. I looked back at him and he was watching me encouragingly. I bit my lip.

"I'm happy to be playing - I am." I assured him. "But I have no idea how to follow that."

"What do you like to play?"

"Anything expressive." I said with a shy. "Which basically translates to anything I get into."

"Who is your favourite composer?"

I blushed as I thought about it. "Mozart."

"Ah, of course. You do listen to it on your iPod enough." I looked at him warily. "I pay attention to everything about you, Vivienne. Now, if you want to play Mozart, play."

"But I'm better at Beethoven - it's easier. I'd rather play something easier and do it well than embarrass myself with something I don't like as much."

"Do whatever you want to do. You know which you will enjoy more, don't do this so that I enjoy it. I enjoy everything you do." He smiled. "Why not...Fur Elise?"

I sneered, setting myself up as he had taken the time to do. Fur Elise had always been one of my least favourite compositions. He cocked his head when he saw my nearly flawless technique as well - I guess I was more advanced than I'd led him to believe.

"Pft, that's cute. You think I'm a beginner." I smirked at him. "I'm only playing part of movement two and then three, I don't want to put you to sleep by doing the entire thing. Fur Elise, ha!"

I was being cocky, I remember learning the entirety of Fur Elise and it was not an easy song, nor was it even easy for my repertoire, but it was not as impressive as the song I felt I needed to prove myself with.

The song was much better when played by someone with more skill than I had - I should have played something that wasn't strictly piano. I was always worse with those ones because I can't hear it and visualize it as easily when I can't picture an orchestra. But Moonlight Sonata was not one that would be easily forgotten, even though no one ever hears the second and third installments to the piece. It was one of the most difficult and thrilling songs that I could play, even though I didn't do it properly because I sped up the tempo near the end - my teachers used to chastise me constantly for it. But I couldn't help it, I loved playing quickly and pouring everything into the song if that's what it required. For the second movement, it was still slow - I skipped bars and repetitions that weren't necessary, I didn't want to take up too much time on this piano, I would never be able to rip myself from it later. I couldn't help it as I took the notes played earlier, which had been sweet and alluring, to a new level of depth. I wanted to test the grand piano, see the novelty of the expensive ivory and reverberations over the walls. I felt the echoing magnify against my fingers as they trampled the keyboard, trying to do a little justice to the talent I once had when I'd taken the time to care. I was rusty. Very rusty. I hit more than a few wrong notes and I groaned each time I did. It wasn't until the hectic climax of the third movement where I seemed to get into the swing of things and that was simply because I got so into it. The notes were quick and the arpeggios were electric. I felt my body shivering with the excitement of the music, though I tried to calm myself down in comparison to when I used to be at home - Edward and his family did not need to see tha-

_Edward! _

I stopped playing at once, even though the song was not over. I had just remembered where I was - that this piano was not mine, these walls were not impenetrable, and I was not in a bubble of people striving and working as hard as me to do well for our teachers. I was in a house with people more magnificent than I could ever be, no matter how hard I tried. My fingers seemed to itch because I had not reached the end of the song, but I was mortified. I shouldn't have stopped paying attention like that - it was a constant mishappening. I put my hand to my mouth and looked at him with wide eyes, I felt my face heat up with humiliation. His face was expressionless as he watched me intensely.

"I'm sorry. I knew it - I said I shouldn't..."

Applause came from three opposite directions in the house. I briefly wondered who was clapping - though I could hear the hummingbird quick claps of Alice very clearly in the next room.

"I said I shouldn't play," I whispered, more to myself than to Edward, who grabbed my hands and examined them as if he was wondering what had moved them. I looked away from him in embarrassment.

"You were wonderful." He kissed each finger and I felt my face heat up even more dramatically and my heart race. He smiled. "What else embarrasses you that you're wonderful with?"

"Well, I'm obviously too embarrassed to tell you now aren't I?" I smiled.

"Any more instruments?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." I looked away.

"Which?" I smiled, I was not going to give myself away that easily.

"A few." I looked around the room, done with this conversation as he had been able to pull on me so many times. He seemed to get idea after a few moments.

"Not what you expected, is it?" His voice was smug and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Not quite."

"No coffins, no piled skulls in the corners; I don't even think we have cobwebs...what a disappointment this must be for you," he continued slyly.

"I'll be sure never to tell Arie. Her heart will be broken." He smiled. "It's so open."

"It's the one place we never have to hide." I had, unknowingly drifted off to play something else on the grand piano, a song that I used to play for my sister when she was upset, I don't even remember where it came from or what it was called. He watched me intently.

"What?" I asked, when he kept staring but I did not look at him. I focused on my fingers, trying to memorize the backs of my hands.

"What else don't I know about you that you think is trivial enough not to tell me?"

"Hm." I thought melodramatically. "Have I told you I love wolves?"

"Yes."

"What about lions?"

"Yes." I sighed.

"Well then when I think of something, I'll let you know." He smiled and nodded, both of us wondering what I had forgotten to tell him just because I thought it was insignificant and he thought it was life altering. I was glad when he came to speak again.

"Do you want to see the rest of the house?"

"Does a baby hate teething?" He laughed, he had voiced before that my comparisons were ridiculous, before he took my hand and lead me away from the piano.

We walked up the massive staircase, my free hand was trailing along the smooth banister as we climbed, I felt sort of like a princess in the movies. I could imagine coming down the grand staircase in some sort of debutant dress that made me look half as stunning as the people here. I wondered if that's what it would take to impress Edward. At the top of the stairs there was a long hallway paneled with the same light cherry wood that was on the floor boards and rafters. Edward was smiling as he listed off the rooms we passed.

"Rosalie and Emmett's room...Carlisle's office...Alice's closet..." He gestured to each as we passed and I would have tried peaking in them but I was transfixed by the decoration above my head. Edward chuckled.

"You can laugh," he allowed. "It _is _sort of ironic."

I couldn't laugh, I was too transfixed. I looked at the giant crucifix on the wall made of older and lighter aged wood than that which ran through the house and was twice as large as I.

"It must be ancient."

He shrugged. "Early sixteen-thirties, more or less." I looked away from the cross to stare at him, incredulously.

"Did you just _shrug _at that timeline? You're not even one hundred, that is _old._" I looked back at the cross while he smiled at me. "Why do you keep it out here?"

"Nostalgia. It belonged to Carlisle's father." I winced.

"Carlisle was born that long ago?" I couldn't bear to say the word 'old' again now that I knew the whole house had heard me.

"He was. His father carved this himself. It hung on the wall above the pulpit in the vicarage where he preached." I couldn't help myself as I did the mental math in my mind. The cross was more than three hundred and seventy years old.

"Wow," I breathed. I turned to Edward who was intently watching my reactions.

"Are you alright?" He sounded worried, worried that something had finally thrown me off and scared me now that he had let me into the secrets of his life. I raised my eyebrows.

"Carlisle looks really good for his age_._"Edward laughed again, more carefree this time.

"He just celebrated his three hundred and sixty-second birthday," he added. My eyes widened.

"By good, I mean _great _for his age." I corrected hastily. He watched me carefully, with amused eyes as he elaborated.

"Carlisle was born in London, in the sixteen-forties, he believes. Time wasn't marked as accurately then, for the common people anyway. It was just before Cromwell's rule though. He was the only son of an Anglican pastor. His mother died giving birth to him. His father was an intolerant man. As the Protestants came into power, he was enthusiastic in his persecution of Roman Catholics and other religions. He also believed very strongly in the reality of evil. He led hunts for witches, werewolves...and vampires." I grew still at the word.

"He hunted his own son?"

"They burned a lot of innocent people," he shrugged. "Of course the real creatures that he sought were not so easy to catch.

"When the pastor grew old, he placed his obedient son in charge of the raids. At first, Carlisle was a disappointment; he was not quick to accuse, to see demons where they did not exist. But he was persistent, and more clever than his father. He actually discovered a coven of true vampires that lived hidden in the sewers of the city, only coming out by night to hunt. In those days, when monsters were not just myths and legends, that was the way many lived.

"The people gathered their pitchforks and torches, of course," he let out a dark, brief laugh, "and waited where Carlisle had seen the monsters exit into the street. Eventually, one emerged." His voice was very quiet.

"He must have been ancient, and weak with hunger. Carlisle heard him call out in Latin to the others when he caught the scent of the mob. He ran through the streets, and Carlisle - he was twenty-three and very fast - was in the lead of the pursuit. The creature could have easily outrun them, but Carlisle thinks he was too hungry, so he turned and attacked. He fell on Carlisle first, but the others were close behind, and he turned to defend himself. He killed two men, and made off with the third, leaving Carlisle bleeding in the street." He paused. I could see he was editing something, again keeping important secrets from me. I rolled my eyes.

"Just tell me." I sighed.

"Carlisle knew what his father would do. The bodies would be burned - anything infected by the monster must be destroyed. Carlisle acted instinctively to save his own life. He crawled away from the alley while the mob followed the fiend and his victim. He hid in a cellar, buried himself in rotting potatoes for three days. It's a miracle he was able to keep silent, to stay undiscovered. It was over then, and he realized what he had become."

I took a deep breath. "Poor Carlisle."

"Poor Carlisle," Edward agreed. "How are you feeling?"

"Curious." I answered honestly.

He smiled. "I'd expected you would have a few more questions for me."

"A few," I agreed sarcastically. There were a million - if not more. His smile widened over his brilliant teeth and he started back down the hall, pulling me along by the hand.

"Come on, then, I'll show you."

* * *

**So, not the most thrilling chapter, but at least it's starting to set it up for excitement that's yet to come. What did you think of it, cute? I hope so!**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: how could you not have seen either of those movies yet? I didn't even know that was possible! And I'm going to keep giving you compliments UNTIL you explode like Paul did, just because that would be awesome! She had a pack of boxers, and I say that cause there are 9 of them. Plus she has the parents so she's living with 11 dogs in one house and they can't be left alone cause the Mom can roll over on them (and does so often) so I've been helping her out in the day-time when she goes on dates or has work. It's super fun :)**

**Thank you to all my readers, I wish more people would review - I can see that you're reading and alerting, I promise it doesn't take long to write to me! At least tell me if you would be interested in a New Moon remake? Pretty please with a werewolf on top?**

**-Egypt**


	17. Carlisle

**Hello readers! I could list off my excuses for the month off, but I won't do that to you. I will only tell you that I wasn't taking a nice relaxing break or anything like that, if I was, I probably would have been able to get chapters out to you. **

**Anyway, this chapter is not the most exciting, but it's important because you have to know what's up next :) Thank you to my wonderful Beta **_Angels of the Night Watchers _**who constantly fixes up all my messes! **

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

He led me to Carlisle's office, I somehow was able to remember which door it was just by the brief walk through. He paused outside the door for an instant.

"Come in," Carlisle's voice invited.

Edward opened the door to a room with high ceilings and tall, west facing windows. The walls were paneled again, in a darker wood - where they were visible. Most of the room was taken up by towering bookshelves, books so old that I could smell them from over here. I love the smell of books. Internet was nothing in comparison to the texture of each page and the scent of wisdom. I couldn't help my mouth from dropping, earning a chuckle from Edward.

"One day, I'm sure he will let you look through them." Edward smiled. I nodded, dumbly, not sure what to say back.

Carlisle sat behind a huge mahogany desk in a leather chair. He was just placing a bookmark in the pages of a thick volume he held, a volume that I could not identify and wanted to read more than anything in the world because I had no idea what it held in it. Memoirs? History? The key to the Universe? Nothing would have surprised me.

"What can I do for you?" he asked us pleasantly, rising from his seat. I wanted to ask him to give me a book, but Edward had other plans.

"I wanted to show Liv some of our history," I looked at him, startled. He was not one to be open about this, nor so casual. "Well, your history, actually."

"We didn't mean to disturb you." I apologized.

"Not at all." He looked to Edward with a pleasant curiosity. "Where are you going to start?"

"The Waggoner," Edward replied, placing one hand lightly on my shoulder and spinning me around toward the door we had come through. My heart had an audible reaction to his touch and I looked to Carlisle to see him looking at me with an amused grin, ah. He heard it, too. It was much more embarrassing, now.

The wall we faced now was different than the others. Instead of bookshelves, this wall was crowded with framed pictures of all sizes, some with vibrant colours, some in dull monochromes. I searched for some pattern or logic to the pictures but found nothing. I was reminded of Dumbledore's office in Harry Potter - this disorganized grace was what I would have expected from him.

Edward pulled me toward the far left, standing me in front of a square oil painting in a plain wooden frame. This one did not stand out among the bigger and brighter pieces; painted in varying tones of sepia, it depicted a miniature city full of steeply slanted roofs, with thin spires atop a few scattered towers. A wide river filled the foreground, crossed by a bridge covered with structures that looked like tiny cathedrals. I looked at it closely.

"Is-is that London England?"

"London in the sixteen-fifties," Edward said with a smile, he looked at me curiously.

"I've been, remember? I went on the London Eye - that giant ferris wheel. It looked just like this picture just...redone with paint and skyscrapers."

"This is the London of my youth," Carlisle added, from a few feet behind us. Edward squeezed my hand.

"Will _you _tell the story?" I twisted a little to see Carlisle's reaction. He met my glance and smiled at me apologetically.

"I would, but I'm actually running a bit late. The hospital called this morning - Dr. Snow is sick today. Besides, you know the stories as well as I do," he added, grinning at Edward.

It was a strange combination - the everyday concerns of a small town doctor in the middle of his early years in the seventeenth century. It was also strange to know he only spoke out loud for my benefit, but I appreciated it all the same. With another warm smile toward me and a nod to Edward, he left the room.

I looked back at the picture, trying to memorize it. What happened then?" I asked, staring up at Edward, who was watching me. "When he realized what happened?"

He glanced back to the paintings and I looked to see which image caught his attention now. It was a larger landscape in dull colours - an empty, shadowed meadow in a forest, with a craggy peak in the distance.

"When he knew what he had become, he rebelled against it." Edward's voice was quiet, but strong. Something told me that he had also fought against it in his past. "He tried to destroy himself. But that's not easily done."

"Why? How?"

"He jumped from great heights, he tried to drown himself in the ocean...but he was young to the new life, and very strong. It was amazing that he was able to resist...feeding...while he was still so new. The instinct is more powerful then, it takes over everything. But he was so repelled by himself that he had the strength to try to kill himself with starvation."

"Surely his body wouldn't let that happen," I stated in shock, but it came out more like a question. "I mean, it's not possible, right?"

"No, there are very few ways we can be killed." I thought of asking, but he continued. "So he grew very hungry, and eventually weak. He strayed as far as he could from the human populace, recognizing that his willpower was weakening, too. For months he wandered by night, seeking the loneliest places, loathing himself.

"One night, a herd of deer passed his hiding place. He was so wild with thirst that he attacked without a thought. His strength returned and he realized there was an alternative to being the vile monster he feared. Had he not eaten venison in his former life? Over the next months his new philosophy was born. He could exist without being a demon. He found himself again.

"He began to make better use of his time. He had always been intelligent, eager to learn. Now he had unlimited time before him. He studied by night, planned by day. He swam to France and -"

"He _swam _to France?" I asked with wide eyes.

"People swim the Channel all the time, Vivienne," he reminded me patiently. I sighed.

"I guess...it just sounded funny when you...yeah, just ignore me."

"Swimming is easy for us-"

"Everything is easy for _you._" I muttered. He waited, his expression amused. I widened my eyes, realizing my word vomit was currently going full blast.

"Sorry. I won't interrupt anymore. Promise."

He chuckled darkly, then finished his sentence. "Because, technically, we don't need to breathe."

"You d-"

"No, no, you promised." He laughed, putting his cold finger to my lips. "Do you want to hear the story, or not?"

"You can't say something like that and expect me to keep quiet." He lifted his hand so I wouldn't mumble against his finger and moved it to rest against my neck. I'm sure he felt my pulse kick it up a notch or five. "You don't have to _breathe?_"

"No, it's not necessary. Just a habit." He shrugged. Oh, it's really not important, is it little human? He must be thinking. Who cares about oxygen? "Evidently it makes swimming easier."

I shook my head, unimpressed.

"Hey, remember when I told you I would tell you if I remembered something you didn't know?"

"Yes." He answered quickly, completely interested in what I had to say.

"Did I tell you that I can't swim at all?"

"At all?" He asked, a little shocked. "No, you didn't say that."

"Oh. Well, I can't swim."

"You can't, or you're afraid to?" He asked, his thumb rubbing my neck. I shrugged, I didn't think it was that abnormal not to be able to swim, was it? A lot of people were afraid of water, or just had never taken the time to learn. I was one.

"The latter led to the first." I paused. "So, how long can you go without breathing?"

"Indefinitely, I suppose; I don't know. It gets a bit uncomfortable - being without a sense of smell."

"Uncomfortable." I echoed in disbelief. I must not have been paying attention to my facial expressions because he quickly grew somber. His hand dropped to his side and he stood very still, eyes intently surveying my face.

"...What'd I say?" I asked. He stayed frozen and I touched his face. "Edward?"

His face softened, and he sighed. "I keep waiting for it to happen."

"For what to happen?"

"I know that at some point, something I tell you or something you see is going to be too much. And then you'll run away from me, screaming as you go." He smiled a half smile, but it was very clear that his words were deadly serious. "I won't stop you. I want this to happen, because I want you to be safe. And yet, I want to be with you. The two desires are impossible to reconcile..." He trailed off, waiting.

"Well, I hope you enjoy disappointment." He winced, I was impressed he remembered my reference to his words from the day Tyler's van almost killed me.

"We will see." He smiled, sadly.

"Alright, keep going. Carlisle swam to France because he just didn't need to breathe and to you that isn't a big deal...then..." He smiled, getting back into his story by his eyes flickering to another picture - the most colourful of all. This was the most ornately framed, and the largest. It was twice as wide as the door it hung beside, there were bright figures in swirling robes, writing around long pillars and off marbled balconies. I couldn't tell if it represented Greek mythology, or if the characters floating in the clouds above were meant to be biblical.

"Carlisle swam to France and continued on through Europe, to the universities there. By night he studied music, science, medicine - and found his calling, his penance in that, in saving human lives." His expression was awed and I saw the respect he held for his father yet again. "I can't adequately describe the struggle; it took Carlisle two centuries of torturous effort to perfect his self control. Now he is all but immune to the scent of human blood, and he is able to do the work he loves without agony. He finds a great deal of peace there, at the hospital..." He stared off in space for a long moment. When he came to, he tapped the large painting in front of us. It was so well done, the brush strokes confident and barely identifiable.

"He was studying in Italy when he discovered others there. They were much more civilized and educated than the wraiths of the London sewers. He touched the quartet of figures on the highest balcony, watching they mayhem that unfolded underneath their feet. I examined the painting like I was answering my work sheets from my old school - thoroughly. Looking for a clue to the story it told. Then, with a startled laugh, I realized Carlisle was in it, on the far right.

"Solimena was greatly inspired by Carlisle's friends. He often painted them as gods," Edward chuckled. "Aro, Marcus, Caius," he indicated the other three, two black haired, one snowy white.

"Nighttime patrons of the arts."

"What happened to them?" I wondered aloud.

"They're still there." He shrugged. "As they have been for who knows how many millenia. Carlisle stayed with them only for a short time, just a few decades. he greatly admired their civility, their refinement, but they persisted in trying to cure his aversion to 'his natural food source,' as they called it. They tried to persuade him, and he tried to persuade them, to no avail. At that point, Carlisle decided to try the New World. He dreamed of finding others like himself. He was very lonely, you see.

"He didn't find anyone for a very long time. But, as monsters became the stuff of fairy tales, he found he could interact with unsuspecting humans as if he were one of them. He began practicing medicine. But the companionship he craved evaded him; he couldn't risk familiarity.

"When the influenza epidemic hit, he was working nights in a hospital in Chicago. He'd been turning over an idea in his mind or several years, and he had almost decided to act - since he couldn't find a companion, he would create one. He wasn't absolutely sure how his own transformation had occurred, so he was hesitant. And he was loath to steal someone life the way his had been stolen. It was in that frame of mind that he found me. There was no hope for me; I was in the ward with the dying. He had nursed my parents, and knew I was alone. He decided to try..."

He was whispering now and he trailed off near the end. Were I a crier, which I was not, I would have teared up. The thought of Edward dying...it was heartbreaking. As if I would have died myself. He stared unseeingly through the west windows. I wondered what he was thinking about - who's memories he was seeing. I waited silently.

When he remembered where he was, he turned back to me, a gentle smile lit his expression.

"And so we've come full circle." He concluded.

"So you have always stayed with Carlisle?" I asked.

"Almost always," he put his hand lightly on my waist and pulled me, red faced, as he walked through the door.. I stared at the wall of pictures, wondering if I would ever hear the other stories that went along with all the others that had been put up there.

"Almost?" I asked, not letting him get out of it. He was in story mode, I hoped that meant I would get an answer.

He sighed, reluctant to answer. "Well, I had a typical bout of rebellious adolescence - about ten years after I was...born...created, whatever you want to call it. I wasn't sold on his life of abstinence, and I resented him for curbing my appetite. So I went on my own for a time."

"You did?" I was interested. So, Edward _wasn't _a god-like creature? He was somewhat mortal? Rebellious? Human? Bitter? My interest coated my voice and he could tell immediately. I was not paying attention to where we were going - up another flight of stairs - before he stopped to look at me in shock.

"That doesn't repulse you?"

"No." I replied simply. He looked like he was trying to restrain questioning my intelligence - again - when he glared at me.

"Why not?"

"I guess it just makes sense. It's very human - to want to go on your own. Figure things out yourself, even if you know you'll regret it. Just so you have the experience. I did it a few times. My mom knew I would be trouble the first time I ran away from home to the playground when I was four." He barked a laugh. We were at the top of the stairs now, in another paneled hallway.

"From the time of my new birth," he murmured, "I had the advantage of knowing what everyone around me was thinking, both human and non-human alike. That's why it took me ten years to defy Carlisle - I could read his perfect sincerity, understand exactly why he lived the way he did.

"It took me only a few years to return to Carlisle and recommit to his vision. I thought I would be exempt from the...depression...that accompanies a conscience. Because I knew the thoughts of my prey, I could pass over the innocent and pursue only the evil If I followed a murderer down a dark alley where he stalked a young girl - if I saved her, then sure I wasn't so terrible."

"The everyday battle of a Superhero." I tried not to imagine it. Him as a dark angel stalking and brutally attacking a man in the alley way behind me, then looking to see the blood stained face of my saviour before he stole into the night. Would a girl have been more afraid than before?

"But as time went on, I began to see the monster in my eyes. I couldn't escape the debt of so much human life taken, no matter how justified. And I went back to Carlisle and Esme. They welcomed me back like the prodigal. It was more than I deserved."

We had come to stop at the last door in the hall. "My room," he informed me, opening it and pulling me through.

His room faced south, with a wall sized window like the great room below. The whole back side of the house must have been glass, I realized with a surprised blink. His view looked down on the winding Sol Duc River, across the untouched forest of the Olympic Mountain range. The mountains were much closer than I would have believed, before now.

The west wall was completely covered with shelf after shelf of CDs. His room was better stocked than any music store I had entered. In the corner was an impressive sound system, the kind I refused to touch because technology seemed in very bad terms with my fingers. It usually broke in them, in fact. I could not count the amount of cell phones I had mourned over.

There was no bed, only a wide and inviting black leather sofa. The floor was covered with a thick golden arpet and the walls were hung with a heavy fabric in a similar shade. On the wall in the corner, right by the couch, were wrinkled pieces of papers posted up on the wall. I tore my eyes from them.

My doodles.

I remembered him saying it was 'quite good' and urging me to keep it, but I had fired it into the garbage before leaving. Of course he had gotten it. But he had posted it up by where he must stay so often? He even had one from...how long ago was that?

I nearly winced. It was when I thought he hated me.

"I couldn't let you throw them away," he informed me lightly.

"One day I'll draw you something worth keeping, how about that?" He smiled.

"That sounds wonderful."

I looked back at the sound system of my dreams, fiddling with the controls. "Good acoustics?" I guessed. He chuckled and nodded.

He picked up the remote and turned the stereo on. It was quiet, but the soft jazz number sounded like the band was in the room with us. I went to look at his mind-boggling music collection.

"How do you have these organized?" He may as well have added the dewey decimal system with the amount he had, but I could not find a pattern. He wasn't paying attention.

"Ummm, by year, and then by personal preference within that frame," he said absently. He was looking at me with a strange expression in his eyes.

"What'd I say _now_?"

"I was prepared to feel...relieved, having you know about everything, not needing to keep secrets from you. But I didn't expect to feel more than that. I _like _it. It makes me...happy." He shrugged, smiling slightly. I smiled back.

"I'm glad," I said with a large smile. It was nice that the feelings of regret were yet to be there. It was nice to know that it wasn't the case. Then, as his eyes dissected my expression, his smile faded and his forehead creased.

"You're still waiting for me to run screaming and grab a pitchfork, aren't you?"

A faint smile touched his lips, he nodded.

"Well, you're going to be disappointed, _mon cher_, because you are ridiculously unintimidating. Much like a teddy bear." He raised his eyebrows in disbelief and suddenly, as he cracked a wide and wicked smile, I _was _scared.

"You _really _shouldn't have said that," he chuckled.

He growled, a low sound at the back of his throat; his lips curled over his perfect teeth and his body shifted suddenly, half-crouched, tensed like a lion about to pounce...huh. Lion. They were right, he was like a lion. I backed away from him shaking my head.

"Don't you dare..."

He moved so quickly that I didn't even see him leap at me. I only found that I had been airborne when I landed on his couch and heard it smack into he wall behind us. All the while, his arms formed an iron cage of protection around me and I was barely jostled. I smirked as he looked down at me.

"See?"

He wasn't having that. He curled me int a ball against his chest, holding me more securely than iron chains and by being on his chest I was reminded of how big he _actually _was. He always looked small in comparison to Emmett, but Edward was quite tall. And quite muscular in a more subtle not-so-Arnold-Schwartzenager way. I raised my eyebrows, making sure his eyes were only glimmering with humour and his jaw was relaxed before I had the nerve to roll my eyes. He tickled me.

"_No_!" I gasped. "What are...you? Five?" I giggled, trying to move his hands away from my stomach but he was relentless.

"You were saying?" he growled playfully when he had finished. I was breathless and panting.

"You're definitely a monster." I muttered, he brought his hands towards me and I cried out in protest. "Terrifying!" I confirmed.

"Much better," he laughed.

"You're almost too human," I muttered. "And here I thought the old age would make you a Gentleman." He just laughed, not phased by the insult.

"Can we come in?" a soft voice sounded from the hall. I struggled to free myself from the compromising position, but Edward readjusted so that we could see who was at the door and I was on his lap. I could see it was Alice and Jasper in the doorway. My cheeks burned.

"Go ahead." Edward was still chuckling quietly.

Alice didn't seem disturbed by our embrace as she walked, nearly danced with how graceful her movements were, to the center of the room. She folded herself onto the floor, looking at us with a smile. Jasper stayed at the door, his expression slightly surprised and I wondered if he was tasting the atmosphere with his unusual sensitivity - and what he was feeling from us to look so shocked.

"It sounded like you were having Liv for lunch, we came to see if you would share," Alice announced. I smiled automatically as I looked to Edward, knowing it was a joke. It was my kind of humour so I could detect it instantly. He was clearly glad that I had caught on immediately and without worry.

"Sorry, I don't believe I have enough to spare," his arms circled more tightly around me and I bit my lip.

"Actually," Jasper took over, "Alice says there's going to be a real storm tonight, and Emmett wants to play ball. Are you game?" The words were common enough but I didn't know what they meant. I was thrown off by Jasper's smile - he was actually quite beautiful as well, now that you could see what he was like when humans weren't constantly around. It made me warm up to him.

I looked to him as his eyes brightened, but he hesitated with a glance towards me.

"Of course you should bring Liv," Alice chirped. I thought I saw Jasper throw a quick glance at her. I hoped I wouldn't be ruining his night.

"Would you want to go?" Edward asked me, his eyes bright with excitement.

"Sure..." It was a hesitant answer. "Where, exactly?"

"We have to wait for thunder to play ball - you'll see why." He promised with a grin.

"The storm will hit over town, it should be dry enough in the clearing." Alice was positive, despite the word 'should', you could see it in her proud smile.

"Good, then." Jasper, whether meaning to or not, got me excited merely by the enthusiasm in his own voice. Even though I hated any outdoor activities which would evidently cause me to embarrass myself. Like this one.

"Let's go see if Carlisle will come." Alice bounced up to the door in a pirouette that broke my heart from all my hours slaving over trying to do ballet like the best dancers in the class.

"Like you don't know," Jasper teased before they were out the door, closing it behind them.

"What are we playing?" I asked, thinking it was probably one of the sports I do worst in - just because of how my luck always worked.

"_You _will be watching," Edward clarified. "We will be playing baseball."

I rolled my eyes but was secretly quite grateful. "So, do vampires play worthy of the minor or major leagues?" I joked.

"It's the all-American pastime," he said with mock solemnity and a grin that could, and would, convince me to do anything.

Even baseball.

* * *

**So, what did you think? Thank you to those who have let me know whether or not they would like to see New Moon redone. Ayone else have any preferences? Special thanks go out to my wonderful reviewers:**

_.alwaysxlove._**: I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about the idea of a New Moon remake, I'm still unsure about it because this story hasn't gotten the best reviews. Thank you for liking it so much and reviewing, I'm glad you like my writing. I'll try not to disappoint!**

_Geriana_**: I wish I could make her a werewolf, but the idea is overkill considering other writing that's out there and even the other writing I've done. From what I've thought out, even though I'm not sure I'll write it, Vivienne's version of New Moon would be COMPLETELY different - but hopefully that should be obvious by her different personality. Thank you for reviewing, I love getting feedback!**

_Juliedoo_**: I completely agree with Bella being a mope, when I think about what would happen all I can think is "oh...Vivienne would be **_**furious**_**" so I wouldn't write her just moping around. It would definitely change the story up. Thank you for reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter as well :)**

**Thank you, guys you're absolutely amazing. I hope you liked this chapter!**

**- Egypt**


	18. The Game

**Hello my wonderful readers! I am here with another triple update of this, **_**Forgetting Franki, **_**and **_**Green Eyed Monster**_**. I hope you enjoy. I have a wonderful shout-out for **_Angel of the Nightwatchers_**, the oh-so-amazing Beta who makes this all run smoothly!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was just beginning to mist outside by the time Edward pulled onto my street. I noticed that he was driving in a much more reasonable fashion as he drove up to the Police Chief's house - hm, he is wise. Up until then, I had no doubt he would be staying with me while I spent a few necessary hours in the more real world.

Then I saw it, the _real _reason he'd slowed down. I saw the weathered, black Ford. It was a '92, possibly a '94 and it was parked in our driveway. Edward muttered something that was most likely a curse under his breath.

Trying to get away from the rain by staying on the front porch until the door was opened, Jacob Black stood behind his father's wheelchair. His face mortified as he looked down to his father, whose face was impassive while Edward parked my truck.

Edward's low voice was furious. "This is crossing the line."

"Please don't say that means what I think it means..." Edward just nodded and I felt myself grow a little bit angry with the wise-faced old man, myself. So, he had come to warn Charlie? Ridiculous. And, as Edward so kindly put it, crossing a _giant _damn line. Kind of like leaping from one side of the Grand Canyon to the other.

I was glad Charlie had yet to be home.

"I'll deal with this." I demanded, and was glad I said it when I saw that Edward's eyes had gone a dark, intimidating black.

To my surprise, he did agree. "That's probably for the best. Be careful, though. The child has no idea."

I snorted, my humour back in tact. "Have you seen the size of Jacob? He is definitely not a child. He looks even older than I do...even if gangly. I could pass as a toddler next to him."

He looked at me, his anger fading with my wit. "I think you look very mature, if silly as you trip."

I sighed and pulled on the handle.

"Get them inside so I can leave. I'll be back around dusk." He instructed me, I nodded tightly.

"Want to take the old girl home?" I pat the dashboard.

"I could _walk _home faster than this truck moves." He said with a roll of his eyes. I furrowed my brow.

"Then don't leave at all. You don't have to."

"Actually, I do. After you get rid of them," he threw a dark glance towards the Blacks', "you have to prepare Charlie to meet your new boyfriend." He grinned at me widely and I had to narrow my eyes at his tone.

"You're a jerk."

He smiled back at me. "I'll be back soon," he promised. His eyes flickered back to the porch before he quickly kissed me on the edge of my jaw. I bit my lip out of the good feeling that came from it, and the anxiety knowing that Billy saw it. When I looked up, Billy was no longer passive, but gripping the armrests of his wheelchair. I winced.

"Use that super speed, okay?" I whispered, opening the door and stepping out in the rain. I felt his eye on my back as I jogged, and almost tripped, on my way to the porch.

"Hey, Billy. Hi, Jacob." I smiled as much as I could. "Charlie's gone for the day - hopefully you weren't waiting too long?"

"Not long." Billy said with a subdued voice. The bite to his words and piercing eyes made me want to cringe and get back in my truck with Edward. I'd prefer Tyler's van to this glare. "I just wanted to bring this up."

"Thanks," I said, not taking the brown paper bag as he was holding it so protectively. I gave him a painful smile. "Why don't you come in and dry off for a minute?"

I fumbled with my keys, concentrating hard so that I didn't drop them or take too long. I could feel everyone watching me and it was making me anxious - vampires and vampire haters or not, I don't do well under that kind of examination.

"Here, let me take that," I offered, taking the brown sack that Billy had wanted to bring over and letting them in the house before myself. I gave one last look towards Edward, who was still being very watchful.

"_Fast_." I mouthed to remind him. He nodded before I turned around and went inside the house.

"You'll want to put it in the fridge," Billy noted tightly, gesturing to the sack in my hand. "It's some of Harry Clearwater's homemade fish fry - Charlies favourite. The fridge keeps it drier."

"Thanks," I repeated again. "I'm running out of ways to cook fish - I barely like it and since he's bound to bring some more tonight..."

"Fishing again?" He asked with a subtle gleam in his eye. "Down at the usual spot? Maybe I'll run by and see him."

"I think he may have said something about some place..." I paused, knowing it already sounded like a lie. I hoped that if I broke it up, by putting the fish fry in the refrigerator all the way in the kitchen for instance, it would make it more believable. "...New. No clue where he would fish though."

Not a lie. I couldn't remember where Charlie fished.

"Jake, why don't you go get that new picture of Rebecca out of the car? I'll leave that for Charlie, too."

Jacob sighed. "Where is it?" He was devastated - so, he knew his father's ploy. He knew I was about to get a strip torn off of me because of the Cullen's. Luckily, Jacob didn't believe the rumours - but he knew his father did.

"I think I saw it in the trunk, you may have to dig for it."

Jacob left.

Billy and I faced each other silently, after a few seconds of awkward silence, I headed back for the kitchen. I heard his wet wheels squeak while he followed. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for what I was sure to hear.

"Charlie won't be back for a long while, just to warn." I muttered, trying not to sound too rude but trying to let him know what I meant.

He nodded, but said nothing.

"Thanks for the Fish fry, I'm sure Dad'll love it. You should come over more often, hopefully he'll be here next time." He continued nodding. I crossed my arms over my chest and he sensed my change in direction.

"Vivienne," he did not have an accent to my name and it gave me a reason to remind myself that this man, right now, was not a friend. Maybe not to the extent of being an enemy or anything, but someone who would try and ruin my relationship with Edward through a warning my father wouldn't believe, but be wary of. It would be hard to spend such time with Edward if a seed like how he shouldn't be trusted were implanted into his head.

"Liv," he said again, trying to make it more personal. "Charlie is one of my best friends."

"He is." I agreed.

"I notice you've been spending time with the Cullens." Each word was careful, his eyes waiting to see my reaction - waiting to see if I knew and was a complete fool or if I didn't know and was being led into some sort of deadly trap.

"They're very kind people," I stated.

His eyes narrowed. "Maybe it's none of my business, but I don't think that is such a great idea."

"You're right, it isn't your business." I agreed. "But don't worry, I will make time for Jacob too. That's what I do for _friends_." The use of the word seemed to make him cringe. He decided to put the conversation into a higher gear.

"You probably don't know this, but the Cullen family has an unpleasant reputation on the reservation." He hoped he had struck in me something that would question it. I shrugged.

"Oh, no, I heard." My voice was hard. "But it can't be deserved by how kind and considerate of a family they are of each other. And _everyone _else around here. I mean, they can't have deserved something like that. They don't step foot on the reservation, do they?"

It wasn't subtle, but it good my point across.

"That's true," he acceded, his eyes guarded. "You seem...well informed of the Cullens. More informed than I expected."

I nodded, staring him down. "Yes. I know all about how wonderful they can be. They are a very considerate family."

He raised an eyebrow and hummed. "Is Charlie as well informed?"

Ah. Not good. "Charlie really respects the Cullens," I hedged. It was an obvious change in wording.

"It's not my business," he said again, "but it may be Charlie's."

"But obviously it's my business to tell Charlie my business. Which I plan to inform him about my, uh, relationship with Edward Cullen tonight." His eyes hardened. He did not speak as I listened to the rain fall on the roof, it was comforting. I watched his gaze examine the knowledge behind my eyes, trying to see if I was making an informed decision.

"Yes," he surrendered, breaking our staring battle. "I guess that's your business, too."

"Thank you, Billy." The relief and gratitude was genuine.

"Just think about what you're doing, Liv," he urged.

"I have been." I agreed.

He frowned. "What I meant to say was, don't do what you're doing." I looked into his eyes and though I didn't like what he had been planning, the concern in them was fatherly and sweet. I shrugged, looking away from him.

"There's no picture anywhere in that car." Jacob's loud, husky voice reached us before he did. The shoulders of his shirt and hair were dripping with rain.

"Hmm," Billy grunted as he faced towards his son. "I guess I left it at home."

Jacob dramatically rolled his eyes to show me how unimpressed he was, hoping his father wouldn't see. "Great."

"Well, Liv, tell Charlie-" the pause was far too long and I wondered what Jacob caught on to during it. "That we stopped by, I mean."

"I'll tell him you came." I agreed. Jacob was surprised.

"We're leaving already?" Jacob asked, obviously upset.

"Charlie is going to be out late." Billy explained as he rolled past Jacob.

"Oh." Jacob was disappointed, so I put my hand on his shoulder and patted it, then made a show about wiping the dampness over his back. He laughed. "I'll see you later, Liv?"

"Sure," I grinned.

"Take care," Billy warned me. I did not answer. I did not say any sort of goodbye after that except for waving briefly as their truck pulled out of the driveway, where my truck stood empty, before I shut the door on the scenario.

So dramatic! I'm glad not all my boyfriends had this much adventure during the relationships. Now I have it all built up ready for what I'm facing now.

I went upstairs and changed out of my dressy clothes, trying on a few different tops because I wasn't sure what to expect tonight. I realized that if we were in a clearing, in the night, with an oncoming storm that it would be rather cold. I put on my off-the-shoulder black sweater and a pair of normal jeans, I decided to wear one of my many pairs of converse. I had too many shoes. Just as I was finishing putting my hair in a long braid, the phone rang and I straightened immediately. I only wanted to hear one voice and it would make fun for him to call me, right? To make sure that they were gone before popping in early to come see me because that just happened to be how much he missed me? I bounded down the stairs and tackled the phone off of the wall.

"Hello?" I asked, breathlessly.

"Liv? It's me." Jessica said. I felt myself wilt.

"Oh, hey Jess. How was the dance?"

"It was so much fun!" And then with no more invitation than that she gushed and gave me a minute-by-minute replay of every event that happened. It was amazing how detached I was from that side of me - that world of school, normalcy, friendship, and academics. Suddenly, they all seemed very frivolous. Not important. Like _they _hadn't been real. I couldn't stop staring at the window, where reality would soon be waiting when the sun hit the horizon.

"Did you hear what I said, Liv?" Jessica asked, quickly irritated.

"Sorry, not that last bit." Or the part before that, but I could edit that part out.

"I said, Mike kissed me! Can you believe it?"

"That's awesome. Was he a good kisser?" I grimaced as I said it, I didn't really want to know.

"He was great!" But surprisingly, she gave no more details - of which I was glad. "So what did _you _do yesterday?"

"Not that much. Soaked in some sun. I'll still be the darkest kid in school." I joked.

I heard Charlie's car pull up and I was instantly sweaty and nervous.

"Did you ever hear anything more from Edward Cullen?"

The front door slammed and I could hear Charlie banging around under the stairs, putting away the fish he had caught and would expect for dinner. I looked at the sun behind the clouds, wanting Edward to be here so I could make my escape. I did not do well with confrontation...

"Uh, yeah."

"Hey there, kiddo!" Charlie called as he walked int the kitchen. I waved.

"Oh, your dad's there. And there was? Why didn't you text me? Next time text! Never mind - we'll talk tomorrow. See you in Trig."

"See ya, Jess." I hung up the phone, glad that she had for once understood my want of silence. Even if she did sound impatient. I took a deep breath and faced him.

"Hey, Dad." I hoped I didn't sound too chipper. "Didn't catch anything?"

He snorted at my humour. "I put it out in the freezer." He turned around to face me and my father suddenly looked intimidating. Like the police officer I knew him to be, but...bigger. I shrank away from him a little.

"I'll just go grab some for the fish fry Billy brought." I mumbled, giving myself reason to get out of that damned kitchen. I heard him mutter that it was his favourite.

While I grabbed it from the kitchen and made sure he was clean enough to eat what I had made. And by me, I mean Harry Clearwater. While he was in the shower and I was adding the fish he'd caught, I was sure to both scold and amp myself up. Right when I heard Charlie turn off the shower upstairs I felt my stomach drop. Any moment now I would have to be out with it.

I glanced out the window to see it was not yet dusk. "Why can't you be here to make this easy?" I asked Edward, even though I knew he wasn't around to hear it. Or perhaps he was and he wanted to watch me suffer. Maybe he thought this was some twisted symbol of me fighting for him.

"Yeah, fighting my fears." I mumbled to myself. "Vivienne, shut up. You can do this. You can do all the talking and Dad won't say a word until you're done and then he'll just say that you're confined to the house for the rest of your adolescence and then you can wither and rot as an old Spinster."

"Is there someone here?" Dad called from upstairs.

"No." I said quickly, my eyes widening.

"Were you talking to someone?"

"Not anyone rational enough to be considered a someone."

By the time he was downstairs and eating, he seemed to really be enjoying the food, for good reason, too. Harry Clearwater's stir fry was probably one of the only ways I liked fish it seemed, because it was the only time I didn't feel I had to grin and bear it, but rather grin and ingest. The problem was that it didn't sit well in my tormented stomach.

Panic attack 101 - Let it out.

"So, this afternoon I hung around the house after Billy and Jacob left." I began slowly, testing the waters, he nodded his head as he chewed, waiting for a clear mouth to speak.

"How were they?"

I winced, remembering the not-so-wise man's warnings. "They were good."

"That's good," he took another mouthful of fish fry.

"Oh, and this morning I was at the Cullen house. When Jacob an-"

Charlie had dropped his fork.

"Dr. Cullen's place?"

"Mm." I mumbled, actually weaving my fingers through my hair as if I were fluffing it. He did not pick up his fork.

"What were you doing there?" He was trying to mask whatever emotion he felt towards this piece of information and for once it was working. My nerves were so shot with worry that I couldn't see past his little mask. In fact, I couldn't see past anything besides my own trembling hand.

"Well, I might have, sort of, definitely, possibly have a date type thing with Edward Cullen tonight, and he wanted to introdu- _Dad_?" Oh my God, I had given my father an aneurysm! His hand was to his chest and it looked like he was choking but his fork had not been picked up and I knew he had no food in his mouth.

"Dad...you okay?"

"You're going out with Edward Cullen?" That was as close to yelling as Charlie got and I widened my eyes. One part of me, the dominant part, wanted to shoot my eyebrows up my forehead and give my father a piece of my sharp wit and defiance. The other part that reminded me I wasn't just here for two weeks and Edward would most likely not take me out without Charlie's approval made me want to submit.

"You like the Cullens." I pressed.

"He's too old for you," this shocked me and I had to think my words through carefully.

"We're both Juniors." He was also born in 1901, but no big deal, Dad. He's still a good guy even if he _is _lusting after my blood. Curfew at ten? Great.

Yeah, it sounded easier in my head.

"Wait." He paused. "Which one is Edwin?"

"_Edward _is the youngest, the one with the reddish brown hair." I was going to add a '_you know, the God_?' but realized that it would only give him ammunition and Charlie may not see him that way.

"Oh, well, that's...better, I guess. I don't like the look of that big one. I'm sure he's a nice boy and all, but he looks too...mature for you. Is this Edwin-" he paused, switching from his angry parental mode to his more awkward, quiet role. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"His name's Edward."

"Is he?"

I bit my lip. "I _think _so."

"You said last night that you weren't interested in any of the boys in town." He picked up his fork. I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. It was good because it meant there was less tension in him. It was bad because he now had a weapon.

"Luckily, Edward is not included in that because he lives outside of town." I was given a withering look as he chewed his fish. I smiled guiltily.

"Besides. It's early. Nothing has been proven, there's no...no..." L-bomb? Nope. I found I couldn't say it and not just because it would be a lie on Edward's side, but because it would be something that I had to take hours of time to think about from my side. Suddenly, with the lines of reality being mixed with the lines of fairy tales, magic, and vampires...

_Love _didn't seem quite so impossible...

"Don't embarrass me, 'kay?" I asked lowly. I stabbed at my fish with my fork. The last thought was not as happy as most people would have thought it would be.

"When is he coming over?"

"Oh uh...probably now." Dad looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged looking at the ceiling with the most innocent expression I could muster.

"Where is he taking you?" My innocent stare up turned into an eye roll back down to him.

"You better be getting this interrogation out of your system, officer, or else I won't bake you sweets tomorrow for when you get back." I smirked slightly as his mouth closed. "We're playing baseball with his family."

"_You're_ playing baseball?" He was both flabbergasted and laughing.

"You're not funny."

"You must really like this guy," he observed, still cracking up. I shrugged.

Then, the engine pulled up in front of the house. I wonder how much of the conversation he had heard. I jumped up and started cleaning my dishes - now I was just in a hurry to save Edward from the barrage of questions he was about to be whipped with.

"Leave the dishes, I can do them tonight. You baby me too much."

"You're too much of a baby." I corrected. The doorbell rang and we looked at each other for a moment, neither of us wanting to get it and neither of us wanting to let the other get it. We rushed, at the same speed-walking pace to get to the door first. His longer legs lucked out.

"Come on in, Edward." Edward looked like an advertisement for raincoats as the light behind him made an innocent and somewhat appropriate halo behind his head. He smiled widely when he saw me and his eyes softened when he saw how nervous I was.

"Thanks, Chief Swan," he smiled, walking in and quickly.

"Go ahead and call me Charlie. Here, I'll take your jacket." He smiled and made sure that my Dad wouldn't notice while he squeezed my hand and shrugged out of his rain coat. He was smart and the effect did it's job. I suddenly felt much better, though my panicked heart rate stayed about the same for giddiness.

"Thanks, sir." Edward said and I was nearly blushing by how polite he was being. Oh, the perfect gentleman.

"Have a seat there, Edward." I winced. Edward sat on the only chair, Charlie's chair, forcing me to sit on the sofa. He winked at me when Charlie wasn't looking and I rolled my eyes. I hope he realized this was not a game. Maybe he _wasn't _the gentleman he pretended to be.

"So I hear you're getting my girl to watch baseball." Luckily he hadn't paid attention to the fact it was raining cats and dogs - then again, this may be normal for Washington, everything done in the rain. Even things which are optional.

"Yes, sir, that's the plan."

"Well, more power to you, I guess." They both laughed.

"So funny, really, my misfortune and disabilities are hilarious. Can we go now?" I asked with an edge. I walked into the hall and put on my bright yellow jacket. They followed, Edward doing the same.

"Not too late, Viv." Dad reminded me. I nodded, trying to seem like a good little girl who _didn't _steal a boy into her room at night, no matter what her curfew.

"Don't worry, Charlie, I'll have her home early." Edward promised.

"You take care of my girl, all right?"

"She'll be safe with me, I promise, sir." I could tell that my Dad believed the sincerity behind Edward's words. As did I. There was no question of my safety in his hands - not after everything I'd already witnessed. I wish that Charlie knew just so he would understand that Edward was a good guy.

"Oh my God, I'm right _here. _I'm not that inept!" They laughed as I huffed and stomped straight into the storm. But I couldn't see an ugly, yet pretty, silver Volvo waiting in my driveway. Instead, there was a monster, a jacked up 2006 Rubicon Jeep. It's tires had to be higher than my waist. Metal guards over the headlights, four spotlights on the crash bar. It was a nice, ruby red. I gasped.

"This is epic."

"This is Emmett's."

"Oh."

Charlie let out a low whistle. "Wear your seat belts."

Edward followed me around to the passenger side door and opened it for me. When I realized I would have to jump into the jeep, I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, hoping he would get my idea. He sighed and lifted me up with one hand. I giggled, making sure Charlie had not observed the scene.

As he went around to get into the drivers seat, at a human pace, I looked at my seat belt_s _in shock.

"What is all of this, a straight-jacket?" There were four of them. They were draping all over every which way and even though I had been on rough terrain in some nice jeeps I had never seen buckling like this.

"It's an off-roading harness." He answered when he got into his side, which would have been strange had anyone else heard because I had whispered the question while the door was shut.

"That sounds fun."

As I tried to figure this out, knowing what it was at least supposed to be and slightly look like now, he sighed and reached over to help me. I'm glad Charlie could not see through the torrential downpour on the windshield.

"So, why'd you bring the Beast?" I asked in reference to the jeep. He smiled.

"I didn't think you'd want to run the whole way."

I was too busy examining it. "Where do you keep it?"

"We remodeled one of the outbuildings into a garage." He explained.

"What about _your _seat belt?" He threw me a look. Then the statement I interrupted hit me. "Oh no...you said run the _whole _way, didn't you?"

He grinned tightly. "You're not going to run."

"You're right. I'll just be sick instead." I nodded, looking out the window as he reversed into the night.

"Keep your eyes closed, you'll be fine."

"I want to make sure that while I'm forced to stare at branches, they are whizzing past me, not hitting me." He leaned over to kiss the top of my head and groaned loudly. I looked at him with wide eyes. It was a strange sound.

"You smell so good in the rain," he explained.

"In the 'I want to taste you' way or the 'I want to _taste _you' way?" The inflections made it clear that one meant kissing me and the other was far more morbid.

"Both, always both."

I don't know how he found his way but we somehow found a side road that was more mountain path than car-trail. For a long while I didn't dare speak because I knew I would bite my tongue thanks to the jackhammer bouncing. He seemed to enjoy the ride, though - he was smiling like a fool the entire way. I wasn't about to interrupt that. It was like seeing a rainbow. When you see something like that you don't complain that it's raining.

When we came to the end of the trail, the trees formed green walls on three sides of the Rubicon. The rain was a mere drizzle again and slowing each second, the sky brighter through the clouds. He was at my door before I had even gotten my harness off.

"Sorry, Liv, we have to go on foot from here."

"You know - I'm sure they won't miss me that much. Leave me a trail and I'll just meet you there."

"What happened to all your courage? You were extraordinary this morning." I looked at him darkly.

"I have pre-existing mental trauma in reference to this. I had no bad experiences going to your house that I could go into regression with." Could the first run really have just been yesterday? How many days passed and how many breaths had been in reference to Edward Cullen?

Too many and not nearly enough.

He was now unbuckling me.

"You know, I'll get these. You start with that trail."

"Hmmm..." he mused as he quickly finished and puled me from the jeep, I let out a sound of protest. "It seems I'm going to have to tamper with your memory."

"Tamper with my memory, huh? Are you in the MIB?"

"Something like that." He was watching me intently, carefully, but there was easy to read mischief in his eyes. He placed his hands against the jeep on either side of my head and leaned forward, forcing me against the door. He crushed me with the aura of his body, but he did not touch me like I really wanted him to. He was close enough to my face that if I puckered my lips, I could get what I wanted.

"Now," he breathed, "what exactly are you worried about?"

"Hitting a tree..." I tried sounding strong. It didn't work out. "Dying...uh...uhm...oh, puking." There was no sarcasm in the statement, just a melted brain. My heart was beating so quickly I was surprised it hadn't given me a heart attack.

He fought back a smile, then bent his head down and touched his cold lips to the hollow of my throat. I stayed perfectly still except for the deep inhale I had to take when all I could smell was him swirling around me.

"Are you still worried now?"

"Yes." I was defiant, but trembling - literally and figuratively. "Trees. Sick. Death."

His nose drew a line up the skin of my throat to my chin, then circled around my jaw. "And now?"

I struggled to find my voice. "Trees. Sick."

"Vivienne, you don't really think I would hit a tree, do you?"

"_I _might..." there was no concentration. "I'm really not coordinated and you-" his nose started rubbing my jaw again. "-You can't always watch out just for me."

He kissed down my cheek, stopping at the corner of my mouth. His sweet, cold kisses were making me shiver and want to push his face against mine and just let me kiss him so _I _could smother _him._ How I could hurt _him _with the intensity I could kiss him right now...

"Would I let a tree hurt you?" His lips brushed against my lip, it swelled as if he had bitten it - but I know he had not.

"Never," I breathed. What was the second thing besides the trees? Had there even been a third argument that was suddenly forgotten?

"You see," he said, his lips moving against mine so that I mouthed his words. "There's nothing to be afraid of is there?"

"Not with you," it had a double meaning that I'm not sure he caught. Then he took my face in his hands, almost roughly, and kissed me like I wanted to kiss him. I didn't feel bad that I felt like I was mauling him, because I knew it couldn't do anything to him. I wonder if he wished he could maul me like I was mauling him - even though it would certainly end up killing me. I sighed and my lips parted as I welded myself to his stone figure.

He staggered back, breaking my grip effortlessly.

"Damn it, Liv!" he broke off, gasping. He did not seem as mad as I had expected. "You'll be the death of me, I swear you will."

I turned away, ashamed of myself yet again.

"Glad you're indestructible." I told him and in a much smaller voice I added. "Since nothing can hurt _you_." Of course I was referring to the words that he said and the fact he had to pull away.

The brilliant mindreader did not catch on. "I might have believed that before I met _you. _Now let's get out of here before I do something really stupid." This time I let him throw me across his back as he had the day before and closed my eyes to ward off the embarrassment I now felt and the arguments that now came rushing back to my mind. _Trees. Sick. Death._

I turned my face into his shoulder blade when I caught myself peeking under my own arm and I squeezed my eyes shut. I always did like cheating a little. It was because I could barely tell we were moving through a forest . It was closer to figure skating. I resisted the feeling to peek again, it wasn't worth the fear it instilled. I contented myself with listening to his easy breathing.

I wasn't quite sure whether or not we had stopped until he reached back and touched my hair. "It's over, Liv."

I opened my eyes and sure enough we had stopped. I unlocked my stranglehold and slipped to the ground, losing my footing at once and slipping in the wet grass - hitting my butt hard against the dirt. I winced, resisting the urge to rub it.

He stared at me incredulously, evidently not sure whether he was still too mad to find my disabilities funny. But my awkward and guilty pout pushed him over the edge and he broke into a roar of laughter.

I picked myself up, ignoring him as I brushed the debris off my jacket and my butt. It made him laugh harder. I pushed out my chin - damn you weak chin - and marched toward the forest.

His arm was around my waist in an instant. "Where are you going, Liv?"

"To watch a baseball game. You don't seem to be thinking about important things like that, but I'm sure they'll play without you." I said with the snottiest voice I could muster.

"You're going the wrong way."

I took a shallow breath of anger and turned on my heel, proud I didn't fall when I spun around and began walking in the opposite direction. He caught me again.

"Don't be mad, I couldn't help myself. You should have seen your face." He chuckled again. I narrowed my eyes.

"Oh, I get it. You can be mad, but I have no right to be mad because you're so perfect? Not how it works, buddy."

"I wasn't mad at you."

"_Liv, you'll be the death of me_?" I repeated with a sneer.

"_That _was simply a statement of fact."

"Oh, great. Adore knowing where this relationship's headed." I leveled our eyes as best I could. "You were mad."

"Yes."

I widened my eyes, no longer liking this game. "Okay, see you _just _said-"

"That I wasn't mad at _you. _Can't you see that, Liv?" Suddenly, he was intense Edward again and I felt all traces of childish Liv disappear with him. "Don't you understand?"

"No."

"I'm never angry with you - how could I be? Brave, trusting...warm as you are."

"Not true. You have been...in the past." I remembered the black moods that pulled us apart, the dark eyes that made him leave the presence of the Black's that very night. Yes, there was something I was doing wrong besides being the best tasting, walking, blood bank that he can't seem to afford.

"I infuriate myself," he explains gently, with intense but soft eyes. "The way I can't seem to keep from putting you in danger. My very existence puts you at risk. Sometimes I truly hate myself. I should be stronger, I should be able to-"

"Stop." I put my finger over his lips, like he had done to me so recently. He took my hand and held it to his face.

"I know you d-" he decided to rephrase. "_I love you_," I winced. "I know you hate to hear it and it's a poor excuse for what I'm doing, but it's still true."

The statement hit a low vibration deep in my chest, something that made my whole body shiver with the intensity of the blow. For some reason, like when he said my name, when he said the L-word, it sounded different, too. It sounded...what was the word?

Genuine. It sounded genuine.

"Please try to behave yourself," he continued, and bent down to softly brush his lips against mine. I held still like he wanted me to and sighed when he pulled away.

"You promised my Dad you would have me home early, remember? We'd best follow that yellow brick road." He smiled wistfully and took my hand in his, leading me through a few feet of tall, wet ferns and draping moss, around a massive tree - I wonder what kind, briefly, it has to be one of the biggest all around it for miles - and there it was. It was a field twice the size of any baseball stadium.

I could see everyone else there; Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie were closest, maybe only one hundred yards away. Much farther than them were Jasper and Alice, at least a quarter of a mile apart, appearing to throw something back and forth, but I never saw a ball pass between them. It looked like Carlisle was making bases, but they couldn't have been that far apart...boundary lines?

Esme was quick to come towards us, as was Emmett, after Rosalie had risen gracefully from the rock she had been perched on and left toward the field without a glance to me. I felt instantly terrible.

"Was that you we heard, Edward?" Esme asked as she approached us.

"It sounded like a bear choking," Emmett clarified.

I nodded with a grin. "Yeah, that was definitely him."

"Vivienne was being unintentionally funny," Edward explained, giving me a look that told me that if I didn't play nice, he would not either. I stopped nodding.

Alice hurtled to a fluid stop in a beautiful version of Grande Pliée at our feet. "It's time."

As soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest beyond us and then crashed westward towards town. Emmett looked at me with a wink.

"Eerie, isn't it?"

"Let's go." Alice reached for Emmett's hand and they sprinted towards the field, she ran like a gazelle and though he was just as graceful, he was not to be compared to one.

"Are you ready for some ball?" Edward asked, his eyes were bright and eager. I smiled.

"Go team Dracula!" I said sarcastically. He snickered, mussed my hair, and bounded off after the other two. But his run was much more aggressive - a cheetah perhaps? He caught up with them quickly.

"Shall we go down?" Esme asked in a soft voice. Esme kept a few feet between us as we started walking and I was wondering if she was still worried that I was frightened of her. I smiled at her warmly and it seemed enough to make her match her stride to mine. Luckily she did not seem impatient by my slow, human pace.

"You don't play?"

"No, I prefer to referee - I like keeping them honest," she explained.

"Ah. So they're cheats." I smiled. "That makes it more fun, so long as it's in good fun."

"Oh yes - you should hear the arguments they get into! Actually, I hope you don't, you would think they were raised by a pack of wolves."

"Ha. My Mom used to say that about my little brother and I." I smiled. "You're a great mother figure." _Much better than mine. _I thought with fervor, it was the one time I wish Edward _could _have read my thoughts.

"Well, I do think of them as my children in most ways. I could never get over my mothering instincts - did Edward tell you I had lost a child?"

"No," I breathed and I was kind of glad he hadn't. I didn't want to look at this beautiful woman in pity the first time I would have met her and now I could see her for the mother she really was before it was the mother she had to stop being. I suddenly felt even more disgusted with Jessica for spreading those rumours that Mrs. Cullen couldn't have children.

"Yes, my first and only baby. He died just a few days after he was born, the poor tiny thing," she sighed. "It broke my heart - that's why I jumped off the cliff, you know," she added as a matter of fact. I looked at her with wide eyes.

"Edward said-" I stammered and blushed. "I didn't know you had jumped."

"Always the gentleman." She smiled. "Edward was the first of my new sons. I've always thought of him that way, even though he's older than I, in one way at least." She smiled at me. "That's why I'm so happy she's found you. He's been the odd man out for far too long; it hurt me to see him alone."

"You don't mind, then?" I mumbled. "That he doesn't think it will work out for the better?"

"Oh, I don't know about that," she argued thoughtfully. "You're what he wants. It will work out, somehow," she said, though her forehead creased with worried. Another peel of thunder began.

When we got to the edge of the field, it looked like they had formed teams. Edward was far out in the left field, Carlisle stood between first and second bases, and Alice held the ball, positioned on the spot that must be the pitcher's mound.

Emmett was swinging an aluminum bat; it whistled almost untraceable through the air. I waited for him to approach home plate, but as I watched, I noticed the far distance he stood away _was _home plate. Jasper stood several feet behind him, catching for the other team. Of course, no one had gloves on.

"All right," Esme called in a clear voice, which I knew even Edward all the way out in left field (really closer to three left fields of a normal diamond) would hear. "Batter up."

Alice stood straight, motionless. Her style seemed to be stealthier than an intimidating windup. She held the ball in both hands at her waist, then, like a cobra striking, her right hand flickered out and the ball smacked into Jasper's hand.

"That's one crazy strike," I muttered, wondering how _anyone _would be able to hit that.

Jasper hurled the ball back into Alice's hand and I was upset to see that he, too, had such a powerful throw. Perhaps they had actually been throwing a ball back and fourth earlier?

She spun out again.

This time, the bat somehow made it around in time to smash into a ball that I doubted could exist after the crack of impact. It was shattering, thunderous; it echoed off the mountains - I immediately understood the need for thunderstorms.

The ball shot like a bullet deep into the surrounding forest.

"Home run," I murmured, impressed. I wondered how many people would get home runs today because they were all too good to play such a simple game.

"Wait," Esme cautioned, listening intently, one hand raised. Emmett was a blur around the bases, Carlisle shadowing him. I realized Edward was gone.

"Out!" Esme cried in a clear voice. I stared in disbelief as Edward sprang from the fringe of trees, ball in his upraised hand, his wide grin visible even from my flawed eyes way over here.

"Emmett hits the hardest," Esme explained with a smile. "But Edward runs the fastest."

"I believe that." I muttered, but I couldn't at the same time. Was he extra amazing even for vampire standards too? The thought wasn't one I had never had, but it was a little extra now that I knew the extent of it. The most beautiful, the most graceful, the most charming, the fastest, and a mindreader? Was there anything Edward Cullen wasn't perfect with?

The game kept going, I tried to keep up remembering all the tactics like Earl had taught Shawn. Shawn loved to play with his baseball cards and it was hard to remember this from a big person's point of view and not a four-year-old with easy rules. To make things harder, my eyes weren't powerful enough to stay watching them with how fast they were going as their bodies raced back and fourth on the field.

When Jasper hit a ground ball, it was to get it out of Edward's fast hands in the outfield. Carlisle ran into it, so Jasper raced to first base, but Carlisle had stood by then and they collided. It was like the crash of two boulders. I was frozen in shock until I heard the laughter, then I was just frozen in the fishy face.

"Safe," Esme called in a calm voice.

"These boys are insane." I gaped. Esme laughed.

"They have to be so formal around town, here they can be the little boys they didn't get to be. It's sweet," she smiled and looked back to the game and I was glad because my cheeks burned. I hadn't meant it as an insult, it was more just a statement of disbelief.

Emmett's team was up by one when Edward caught the third out. He sprinted to my side, glowing with excitement, a smile on his face that was so wide I was having trouble remembering the brooding Edward from weeks before. This seemed so natural now. He seemed so natural, even despite his abnormal beauty.

"What do you think?" he asked me, I raised my eyebrows.

"I think you're better than most television sports - even WWE, and that's staged."

"And it sounds like you watched so much of it before," he laughed. I raised my eyebrows.

"What if I did? Then I wouldn't be ashamed to tell you how disappointed I am."

"Why?" he asked, puzzled.

"Well, it'd be nice if you couldn't do everything perfectly. I think maybe Emmett wouldn't curse so much if you did." I smiled, which earned me one of his perfect smiles in return.

"I'm up," he said as he gave me a meaningful look, one that subtly said '_watch me!_' before he headed to the plate. I had no reason not to.

He was an intelligent player, aiming the ball low and out of Rosalie's always-ready hand in the outfield. He managed to get two bases down before Emmett got the ball into play. I wondered if he had been reading Emmett's mind to see when he had picked it up.

Carlisle knocked one so far out of the field, it sounded much like a sonic boom, that he and Edward both made it in. Alice slapped them dainty high fives. I watched her laugh with them, a light laugh of the bells you rang as a child so an angel would get their wings, my Grandma had lots of them. She seemed so happy. I think I'll like her.

The score changed constantly while the game kept going and the way they insulted each other was in true baseball fashion. There wasn't much difference between them and professional players, except these players didn't spit tobacco and they were much, much more talented.

Just as they were all switching positions, Carlisle going up to bat, Alice gasped. I saw everyone look at her and before I could furrow my eyebrows, they were all surrounding her.

"Alice?" Esme's voice was worried, which made me worried.

"I didn't see - I couldn't tell," she whispered. The others waited.

"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asked in a calm, authoritative voice that made me think of how old he was, he was the perfect on to call for a slice of wisdom.

"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," she murmured. Jasper leaned over her, his posture protective.

"What changed?" He asked, soothingly.

"They heard us playing and it changed their path," she said, contrite, as if she felt responsible for whatever had frightened her. But what frightened _me _was the seven pairs of eyes that flashed to my face and back to her. I widened my eyes and stopped walking towards them.

"How soon?" Carlisle asked, turning to Edward.

Edward concentrated, with a hard frown. "Less than five minutes. They're running - they want to play."

"Can you make it?" Carlisle asked him, his eyes flickering to me.

"What's going on?" No one answered me, but I know they all heard.

"No, not carrying - " He cut short. "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting."

My eyes widened. I caught on. There couldn't really be..._human drinking _vampires on their way, could there?

"How many?" Emmett asked Alice.

"Three," she answered tersely.

"Three!" he scoffed. "Let them come." His muscles seemed to bulge a bit and I saw Rosalie actually smile at him and elbow him. They weren't worried...but I was beginning to be.

Carlisle had been deliberating during this time and only those two seemed not to watch him.

"Let's just continue the game," Carlisle decided slowly. "Alice said they were simply curious."

I stayed where I was. They were curious. That didn't mean anything dangerous - and they were only three. This group was seven strong. These vampires -

I shivered. That's what they were: vampires. These were vampires who were not like the Cullen's. These were the ones you heard about in movies and books who killed people and fed their dementia by their urge to feed...

"You catch, Esme," Edward said stiffly. "I'll call it now." As he came to stand beside me, Esme muttered some words so softly and so quickly that I had no time to catch them. Edward shook his head and she looked relieved as she walked away. Edward placed himself slightly in front of me.

"Take your hair down." He took the elastic from the end of my braid and flitted it around my face until my hair was down and covering my skin - skin which was too dark.

"I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb - they're coming, right? That's what I caught?"

"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please." He was trying to hide his panic, but I could hear it, just like I could see it in the tense movements of the people around the field who were no longer having a good time. He pulled my long hair forward to cover my face more than it already was.

"That won't help," Alice said softly, sadly. "I could smell her across the field."

"I know." Edward was upset as he said it, more mad than scared now. Carlisle stood at the plate and began playing again, but the movements were all robotic and there was no more game left in the game; instead it was a show. Something for people to see, but not what was real.

"What did Esme ask?"

He looked at me and hesitated. "Whether they were thirsty," he muttered. I closed my eyes out of stress. I nodded to myself, swallowing quickly. I wish I could act. I wish I could copy the lithe movements and intense glances - but I could not out-act this scenario any more than I could out-run it, even with Edward's help.

"I can do this," I whispered hopelessly. I could do this as easily as I could _survive _this.

"I'm sorry, Vivienne," Edward muttered fiercely, no longer paying any attention to the apathetic game that dared not leave the in-field. "It was stupid, irresponsible, to expose you like this. I'm so sorry."

"I think it's time for you to play knight in shining armor again, Edward." I whispered. "If you don't win this game, you lose me."

I heard his breath stop, his eyes looking mournfully at me before he took a half step, angling himself between me and what was coming.

Carlisle, Emmett, and the others turned in the same direction, hearing sounds of passage much to faint for my ears.

* * *

**It's coming, and you all know what **_**it **_**is! How exciting, things are about to get messy. Will she act as Bella did, or will she do differently? Will James want her for the same reasons, will she want to run with our favourite vampire? If you review, I will send you a ****preview from the next chapter****! As for my reviewers from last chapter I need to give a shout-out to**

_Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967_**: Thank you as always for leaving a review, you are fantastic! **

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: Oh, if (most likely **_**when**_**) I write New Moon she will NOT be so kind to him when he asks to take her back. "Uh, screw you random dead guy who left me and then tried to pull a Romeo when you are so playing Tybalt - jerk"...That's pretty much how I see it. It wil be awesome. The upcoming movies, I can't tell. I almost don't want to see them just because of the Jacob/Renesmee thing. I mean, as a fanfiction writer I think I can say that his ending is SO fanfiction and not one of the award winning stories. I mean, I know she wanted to keep everyone happy but not all stories have happy endings. And as terrible as it sounds, I almost wish he would have been left heartbroken. It's realistic. Besides, then he could imprint on me :P and by the way CONGRATULATIONS! Don't even worry about it, I'm just so happy for you, that's amazing news! You'll have to tell me all about it :D**

_arisa0_**: I'm so glad that you like it and think it's different, that is the best compliment I recieved! I'm glad you want to see a New Moon rewrite, I have been thinking a lot more on it and thinking that I'll probably end up doing it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please ****review****, and I'll see you lovelies soon!**

**-Egypt**


	19. The Hunt

**Well, been a while since I've updated this – but at least I'm starting back up with an exciting chapter! Hopefully you all enjoy the little changes I made. Special thanks to my wonderful Beta **_Angel of the Night Watchers_** for all her wonderful work making me look as good as I can!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen - The Hunt

They emerged one by one from the fringe of the forest, looking cat-like and very different from the Cullen's in all their odd, amplified similarities. The first male into the clearing immediately fell behind, allowing the other male to take the front. He was bigger, taller and dark haired - confident enough to lead the pack of killers. The third was a woman, from the far distance I could see nothing more than that her hair was possibly on fire, licking at the ends to set the rest into the colour of flames.

They closed rank before they came up to Edward's family, looking like a pride of lions who met a larger pride - one with bigger, more intimidating males. It was humble in comparison.

As they approached, I scrutinized their similarities and differences from the Cullens. Their gait so feline and threatening that it looked like they were ready to pounce at the drop of a dime. They were dressed in ordinary clothing, but it was old and frayed. They were also barefoot. Something told me that did not affect their speed. Both men had cropped hair, but the woman's orange hair was filled with debris that had hit her during her journey.

Their sharp eyes took in the group before them, not really looking at me thanks to the distraction of Emmett, Carlisle, and Jasper - the latter of which suddenly looked just as intimidating as Emmett did. Without any communication, they walked toward each other, preparing for a verbal exchange to break the ice.

The man in front was easily the most beautiful. His skin was olive-toned beneath the pallor. His hair was glossy black. He was of a medium build and hard muscled, but he would never stand a chance against Emmett. Something told me that no single vampire ever would. He smiled an easy smile with appallingly white, glossy teeth.

The woman was more wild, her eyes shifting restlessly between the men of the group and the grouping around me, her chaotic hair was quite a distracting sight. She did not try to hide her prowess, feline nature. The other male hovered behind both of them, slighter than the leader, but not nearly as striking with sandy hair and average features. His eyes held an intensity that even Edward's didn't - something much more sinister.

That's when I saw it. The difference that made the worldly comparison and completely separated their kind from the kind that I currently was surrounded by. Where the Cullen's had gotten me used to a gold or even threatening black colour to their eyes, these travelers had a deep ruby colour that was much more terrifying.

The dark-haired man stepped towards Carlisle with the same smile.

"We thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed voice with a slight French accent. I kept that to myself - no whispering to Edward in French, then. "I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James." He gestured to the vampires behind him.

"I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme, Alice, Vivienne, and Edward." He pointed us out in groups and made sure not to call attention to anyone. I had never been so proud to have such an old-fashioned name like the rest.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked sociably.

Carlisle was pleased to match his pleasant tone. "Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"

"We're headed North, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighbourhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves."

I could feel how relaxed everyone, including myself, was and I looked quickly towards Jasper. He looked no different in posture, but it was quite obvious he was using his particular gift. So long as he used it to calm down the bloodlust, I didn't care if he made me do the chicken dance out of euphoria.

"What's your hunting range?" Laurent casually inquired.

"The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."

Laurent rocked back on his heels and raised his well-sketched eyebrows.

"Permanent? How do you manage that?" The curiosity behind his voice made me more anxious as he made the conversation last much longer than I would have liked it to.

"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?" Carlisle invited. "It's a rather long story." That was a lie. They didn't like killing humans - they drank from animals, no one suspected. I could have easily told it for him, but I no longer wanted to do such a thing. In fact, I had never been so excited to get rid of someone. I'd rather spend a month alone with Lauren.

"That sounds very interesting, and welcome." His smile seemed genuine. "We've been on the hunt all the way from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while." His eyes moved appreciatively over the Cullen's and their fashion-forward clothing.

"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand." Carlisle explained.

"Of course," he nodded. "We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle anyway," he laughed. I cringed away from him, Edward reacted by going further in the way of their line of sight from me.

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us - Emmett and Alice, you can run with Edward and Bella to get the jeep," he added casually. I nodded, trying to keep myself part of the group - which was the worst thing I ever could have done.

I noticed three things at the same time, much like the adrenaline-vision from the day Tyler's van nearly killed me: My hair ruffled with my nod, the breeze carrying it around me; Edward stiffened; and the second male, James, snapped his head toward me, sniffing the air.

A swift rigidity fell on each figure in the clearing as James lurched one step forward into a crouch. Edward bared his teeth, crouching in defense, a feral snarl ripping through his chest. It was not carefree and fun like he had done this morning in his room. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed to hostility and poison.

"What's this?" Laurent asked in surprise. I looked at him, nervously, then back at Edward, then to James, who had eyes for both Edward and I, and back again.

"She's with us." Carlisle said firmly, all politeness gone.

"You brought a snack?" James asked, his expression bemused as he took an involuntary step towards me, smelling the air again. I took a step back, and then another when Edward let out a snarl that was so terrifying, for a moment, he wasn't Edward at all.

"I said she's with us," Carlisle corrected.

"But, she's _human_." Laurent protested, still in shock.

"Yes." Emmett was very obviously rigid beside Carlisle and his eyes did not leave James. James slowly straightened himself out though his eyes did not leave me as he sniffed silently, taking a step back. Edward did not relax, so neither did I.

"It appears," Laurent began soothingly, trying to appear calm. "We have a lot to learn about each other."

"Indeed." Carlisle's voice had never been so cold, not even when I questioned his son's presence at the car accident. He was no longer collected.

"But we would like to accept our invitation." His eyes flickered toward me then back. "And, of course, we will not hunt in your range, as I said. We will not harm the human girl."

"You most certainly won't." Someone whispered. I realized after a moment it was me. I leaned away. "_Marde._"

James widened his eyes and sniffed again. I leaned back a little farther as he watched me in frustration and disbelief. He shared a look with Victoria, who's eyes flicked from face to face, judging us one by one. My breath began to rattle in my chest as it tightened against me, Edward almost took his eyes off James to check on me but instead I felt Esme place her hand on my shoulder. I could have sworn I heard someone whisper "try to wait to take your puffer until they're gone, we don't want them to know your weakness", but it was so quiet it may have just been my conscience. I wouldn't be able to wait long. I was beginning to panic and that meant that I was becoming more and more breathless.

Carlisle measured Laurent's open expression. "We will show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" he called. They gathered together, blocking me from view as they converged. Alice was instantly at my side, and Emmett fell back slowly, his eyes locked on James as he backed toward us.

"Let's go, Liv," Edward's voice was low and bleak. He must be _furious _with me...

"Edward-"

"_Now_." There was no arguing with that tone, nevertheless, Edward had already gripped my elbow and was pulling me sharply towards he forest. Alice and Emmett were close behind us, hiding me from view. I stumbled alongside Edward, still stunned with myself, and my fear. I couldn't see past Emmett to see if the main group had left, even though we moved at a human pace towards the edge of the forest. I had no time because he didn't want me to.

When we got to the edge of the forest, there wasn't even a break in stride as Edward slung me over his back. I did not complain, but choked him with my arms and, were he human, bruised him as my legs wrapped around him. I squeezed my eyes shut and nuzzled into his neck, trying to keep from sounding like a fish out of water, which was exactly how I felt.

"I'm so sorry," I gasped. "I didn't mean to..."

He shushed me, but didn't answer as he started running and I didn't have the strength to close my eyes. I felt nauseous, but I knew it was not from the journey. How could I have done something so stupid? How could I have let my mind wander off like that and hurt myself to the point of talking back to a _vampire_?

Edward's anger drove him to run faster through the trees, faster than the exhilaration I was used to seeing him have when he ran like this. Now it was fear. He could no longer mask it. I squeezed him tighter until I thought that _I _may bruise. I still did not feel close enough for his protection.

We reached the jeep in an insanely short amount of time and Edward all but threw me off of him, somehow he had his puffer out of my jacket pocket and in his hand. He did my job for me as I took three doses, just because I knew that I would need it. It took a few seconds for me to be able to breathe properly, but he was already throwing me into the backseat.

"Strap her in," he ordered. Emmett climbed in the back and did so as Alice got in the passenger's side. Edward had already started the engine. He was growling something too fast for me to understand, but both Emmett and Alice seemed to. It sounded much like Spanish profanities.

The trip was bumpier than it had been the first time around and suddenly, it was not as exciting. I was gripping onto the seat like it was the only harness I had, even though I trusted Emmett's handy work. None of them wore the harnesses.

When we hit the main road, he accelerated and it took me a moment to realize that we were headed south, away from Forks.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

No one looked at me.

"Hello? Anyone home? Do I need to knock on a coffin? Someone answer me!"

"We have to get you away from here - far away - now." Edward pushed the gas harder. The speedometer read one hundred and five miles an hour - how did they get away with it?

"Don't even try it, I need to go _home_right now." I corrected. I struggled to get out of the harness, trying to remember the rules of a Tuck-And-Roll like in the movies.

"Emmett." Edward whispered simply.

Emmett grabbed my hands. I glared at him, he apologized quietly.

"Edward, you're crazy. You can't do this."

"I have to, Vivienne, now please be quiet." I seethed more.

"Are you kidding? Charlie's going to call the FBI, the Military, the _Mounties _if he has to! They'll be all over your family, you'll be in hiding _forever_. Take me home!"

"Calm down, Vivienne. We've been there before."

That made it worse.

"Not over me, you haven't and I refuse to _let _you be."

Alice spoke for the first time and I was happy to hear she was calm, rational. "Edward, pull over."

He flashed her a hard look. He sped the car to one hundred and fifteen.

"Edward, let's talk this through."

"You don't understand," he roared in frustration. "He's a tracker, Alice, did you see that? He's a _tracker_!"

I felt Emmett stiffen beside me and I stiffened too. I may not be able to understand all the vampire-lingo, but I knew what tracking meant. And if he was a _tracker _that means he could track things. Like humans. Like me.

"Pull over, Edward." Alice's tone was still reasonable and yet filled with authority. Something that looked so strange for the petite pixie.

The speedometer went to one twenty.

"Do it, Edward."

"Please." I added to Alice's plight, she shot me a sympathetic glance.

"Listen to me, Alice." Again I was not there. "I saw inside his mind. Tracking is his passion, his obsession - and he wants her, Alice - _her _specifically. He begins the hunt tonight."

"He doesn't know where-"

"How long do you think it will take him to cross her scent in town? His plan was already set before the words were out of her mouth."

I gasped, chafing my wrists in Emmett's hands as my lungs started closing again, even against the medicine I'd just dosed myself up on. "No, Charlie! Take me back _right now_. We can't just leave him, Edward!"

"She's right," Alice said. The car slowed, slightly. Only back down to one twenty, but it was better than the one thirty it had been a minute before. He looked at me through the window, watching to see how I was doing - he must have heard the rasping of my lungs.

"Let's just look at our options for a minute," Alice coaxed.

"There are no options," Edward hissed.

"I'm not leaving my father," I puffed. "Just like you wouldn't leave yours."

He winced. "Emmett, use her puffer."

Emmett did as he was told, holding both my wrists in one of his giant hands as he gave me another puff. It calmed my breathing and my lungs, but it didn't calm down any other part of me. I was panicking and at this rate I would have an anxiety attack, which would turn into an asthma attack, and I'd be a sitting duck for the tracker.

"We have to take her back," Emmett said finally. I threw him a glance of appreciation.

"No."

"He's no match for us Edward, he won't be able to touch her." He pushed.

"He'll wait." Edward said simply, but with a growl.

"I can wait, too." Emmett smiled.

"You didn't see, you don't understand." Edward groaned. "Once he commits to a hunt, he's unshakable. We'd have to kill him."

Emmett did not seem disturbed. "That's an option." I shot him a look of surprise. "What can I say? You're a pretty cute little firecracker."

"Wait 'til you see me go off." I muttered. "Edward, _please_."

"The female. She's with him. If it turns into a fight, the leader will go with them, too." Ignored again. I was getting more and more annoyed than hurt by the snubs.

"There are enough of us." Emmett reminded.

"There's another option." Alice said very quietly. I looked at her, confused by the softness of the words - what could she be shy about at a time like this? Don't show weakness in front of him, I wanted to scream, he'll catch it!

"There - is - no - other - option!" The roar was like that of a lion and it stiffened both Emmett and I. Alice did not look surprised. The silence lasted a long minute as Edward and Alice stared each other down.

"Edward, he's my _father_." I whispered.

"I'm sorry Vivienne, but I can't." Edward whispered back, at least he was acknowledging me.

"You can at least hear my plan."

"No." Edward growled. Alice glared at him, finally provoked by his harsh words to me. Yes, we would be fast friends.

"Just take me back and-"

"No." He interrupted.

I rolled my eyes and continued on anyway. "Take me back. I tell my Dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags and when the tracker's watching, we run. He'll follow us and leave Charlie alone and no investigations will need to be done on your family with so much to hide. Then, if you want to, you can take me anywhere from Spain to Saturn. I don't care. Just let me make the ones _I _care about safe, just like you want to keep _me _safe."

They were stunned into silence.

"It's not a bad idea, really." Emmett's surprise was insulting. I glared at him.

"Yeah, I have them every now and then. Don't think that the falling on my head has effected it _that _much." He smiled.

"Yep. I like 'er."

"It might work - and we simply can't leave her father unprotected. You know that," Alice said.

Everyone watched Edward, who seemed to be melting in front of our eyes.

"It's too dangerous - I don't want him within a hundred miles of her."

"Edward, if you don't want him within a hundred miles of me you don't have to let him be - after we keep Charlie out of danger."

"But until that time you want to be?"

Emmett, however, was smug. "Edward, he's not getting through us."

Alice thought a moment. "I don't see him attacking. He'll try to wait for us to leave her alone."

"It won't take long for him to realize that's not going to happen."

"If you don't take me home, I will _never _speak to you again." My voice was hard and confident, so confident that I even surprised myself. Edward winced.

"I'm sorry, but that is a consequence I'm willing to have you live for."

"I know that you-" I cringed. "That you _love _me." His eyes finally met mine in intensity, he was intrigued by my direction. "And if you do, you need to let me do this. I can't live with my Dad dead at my cause."

He looked in my eyes for a long moment, seeing the dread, seeing the determination.

"You're leaving tonight, whether the tracker sees or not. You tell Charlie you can't stand another minute in Forks. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things your hands touch, and then get in your truck. I don't care what he says to you. You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep."

I took a deep breath of relief as the jeep started again and raced back the way we came. He drove just as quickly. I looked to Emmett with raised eyebrows.

"Hey, Emmett? Don't want a firecracker to go off in your hands." He looked confused for a moment before I looked at his hands which still gripped mine. He blinked.

"Oh, sorry." He let me loose.

"Not a problem, now." A few minutes passed in silence, all of us worrying privately before Edward spoke again, authoritative as ever.

"This is how it's going to happen. When we get to the house, if the tracker is not there then I will walk her to the door. Then she has fifteen minutes." He glared at me in the rear-view mirror. "Emmett, you take the outside of the house. Alice, you get the truck. I'll be inside as long as she is. After she's out, you two can take the jeep home and tell Carlisle."

"No way," Emmett broke in. "I'm with you."

"Think it through, Emmett. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

He shook his head. "Until we know how far this is going to go, I'm with you."

I smiled at him. He really _was _a giant teddy bear. A loyal, giant, rippling-muscled teddy bear. Edward sighed to him, but seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"If the tracker _is _there," he continued. "We keep driving."

"We're going to make it there before him." Alice was so confident that none of us questioned it and Edward moved a little faster.

"What are we going to do with the jeep?" she asked.

"You're driving it home."

"No, I'm not." She said calmly. The string of profanities sounded again, this time including my name and James, I rolled my eyes.

"I can still hear you." I looked at Alice, who seemed to be the most reasonable. "We can't all fit in my truck."

Edward did not show signs he heard me.

"...I think I should do this alone."

Oh, but he heard that.

"Vivienne, please just do this my way, just this once." He said between clenched teeth.

"Listen, Charlie's not the brightest bulb, but he isn't blown out." I protested. "If you're not in town tomorrow, he's going to know something's up. He saw how much I liked you. He'll think we've eloped or something."

"If only," he sighed. I blushed. "Either way, that's irrelevant. We'll make sure he's safe, and that's all that matters."

"Then what about the tracker? He saw the way you defended me automatically. He's caught on to what we are." I shook my head. "No, he's going to know you're sticking with me. It's too obvious to _everyone _if you come with me."

Emmett was impressed again. "Edward, listen to her. I think she's right."

"Yes, she is." Alice whispered.

"I can't do that." Edward was hissing again, almost in pain from the thought.

"Emmett should probably stay too. You're a little bit of a bright beacon, bud."

Emmett glared. "I don't like you so much anymore."

"You'll get a better crack at him if you stay," I was glad Alice was helping me out.

"You think I should let her go alone?" Edward asked incredulously to Alice, who immediately was insulted.

"Of course not," she responded with a scoff. "Jasper and I will take her."

"I can't do that." He said again. This time, his voice was not so steely. I saw my chance and pried at the harness. This got a dark look from him. He was about to tell Emmett to hold me back when I pried myself free and touched his shoulder. He seemed to shrug into it.

"Listen," I started softly. "Stay here for a week...don't look at me like that, fine, as long as you can stand that is over three days," I sighed. "Let Charlie see you have not kidnapped me. Lead James on a wild goose chase. Far away - to China if you can manage it. Then, come meet me, indirectly of course. Jasper and Alice can go home and you and I can go vacation in a submarine at the bottom of the ocean if we have to."

Was that - could that possibly be him considering it?

"Meet you where?"

He was! He _was _considering it! I almost felt my chest explode with relief.

"Phoenix." He shook his head before the second syllable was out of my mouth.

"No. He'll hear that's where you're going," he said impatiently.

"That's why! With everyone splitting up, he'll know we have a plan and think it's a ruse. Who looks for the presents under the tree before Christmas? No. You go look in the attic and the closets and the garage - but never the tree."

"She's a walking, diabolical analogy!" Emmett chuckled.

"And if it doesn't work?" Edward whispered, his resolve almost completely diminished as we neared my house.

"There are millions of people in Phoenix - the best place to hide is in plain sight. In the _sunlight._"

"It's not that hard to find a phonebook." He murmured.

"That's why I won't go home." I said as if that had already been decided and was really obvious - which, in my mind, it was. Put my brother, sister, Mom, and step-dad in danger? Also not on my list of priorities.

"Oh?" He inquired with a hiss.

"I'm quite old enough to get my own place. I have money for a hotel room."

"Edward, we'll be with her," Alice reminded him.

"What are you going to do in _Phoenix_?" he asked her scathingly.

"Stay indoors." There was a silence.

"I kind of like it." Emmett nodded, most likely thinking about how he'd have the 'best crack' at killing James. He also wouldn't have to split up with Rosalie now.

"Shut up, Emmett."

"Look, if we try to take him down while she's still around, there's a much better chance that someone will get hurt - she'll get hurt, or you will, trying to protect her. Now if we get him alone..." He trailed off with a slow smile. I was right. Emmett was a _real _bear. Not a teddy. Cute..._then _he sees a treat.

"Vivienne," Edward's voice was suddenly very soft. "If you let anything happen to yourself - anything at all - I'm holding you personally responsible. Do you understand that?"

"Of course, Edward." My grip tightened on his shoulder.

He turned to Alice. "Can Jasper handle this?"

She sneered. "Give him some credit, Edward. He's been doing very, very well, all things considered."

"Can _you _handle this?" He asked pointedly.

Graceful little Alice let out a sound of a _real _snarl so ferociously that I froze with my grip hard on Edward's shoulder. He smiled at her, but suddenly narrowed his eyes, looking back at the road.

"Just keep your opinions to yourself."

* * *

**Aw, poor Alice. She should be trusted. I always liked her, from the first time she was introduced in the series. I would love to thank my lovely reviewers:**

_Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967_**: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks so much for reviewing and I'm sorry for the wait!**

_seymourblogger_**: I'm sorry that you feel that way. Hopefully you aren't torturing yourself by reading this far.**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: Ha, if Jacob imprinted on me...I think my boyfriend would be very intimidated. He's already expressed how he's not sure he can measure up to the romance I write – which is why I write it, not live it. I'm much more simplistic than wanting to be chased around by blood thirsty vampires or being pushed off cliffs. That is an awesome theme for your wedding, if I haven't already told you. I'm so excited for how it turns out – when is it set for again? May? I could be completely off the mark, I just have some memory of it being said. Anyway, thank you for everything – you're my favourite!**

_msjackson_**: I'm glad that you like this story. I also am not a fan of Bella, which is why she needed to be replaced, in my books. I also agree that she is quite selfish – she just needs to be dumped by both men and they should move on for real women with real emotions. Haha, thank you for reading and reviewing!**

**Anyway, thanks for hanging in there! I hope you like this chapter and please check out my other updates. Reviews are more than welcome!**

**-Egypt**


	20. Goodbyes

**This story doesn't seem to be getting a lot of attention so I'm probably going to finish it and not continue through with the other books - which is unfortunate, it was going to be very different. Oh well, life goes on. Anyway, thanks to **_Angel of the Night Watchers_** for being awesome and fixing up the chapter. As always :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen - Goodbyes

* * *

Charlie had waited up for me. He had left all the house lights on like a beacon of warning to Edward that a man bigger than him – not that Charlie was taller than Edward - was ready to take the trash out at any time and catch him kissing me on the doorstep. I had no idea how I would manage to shake off my subtly-protective father, but I knew it would be unpleasant and excessively painful for us both.

Edward pulled up slowly, staying well back from my truck. All three of them were listening and watching, using more senses than I probably possessed and paying attention to things I would never see. The engine cut off and I sat motionlessly as they continued to listen.

"He's not here," Edward sighed with relief. "Let's go."

I was still glued to the seat, more petrified of how I was going to get away than what I was actually getting away from. I was about to hurt Charlie just as much as this vampire could - I just knew it...

"Don't worry, Liv," Emmett said in a low and cheerful voice, "we'll take care of things here quickly."

"Quick," I repeated like a robot.

"Alice, Emmett," Edward's voice was a command and I was surprised that both seemed to know what it meant as they slithered into the shadows outside of my house. Edward opened the door and took my hand, squeezing it as I came out.

"You're in a cold sweat," he noted in pain.

"I'm terrified." I informed.

"We're not going to let him get to you." Tears filled my vision. "Fifteen minutes."

"What makes you think it's me I feel any worry over?" I sniffed, but the tears held themselves at bay. I did not need them right now. I took his face in my hands, looking at him seriously and he gazed back, waiting for my inspiration to hit me. I was a terrible liar, I needed the most realistic and vague reasoning I could find. I needed something that had happened before so I could pretend that I was back in the past – use the same words, work off the same emotions...

"Got it," I whispered softly. "If I survive this, I'm totally going to get caught in this lie."

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Vivienne," he said fiercely. I closed my eyes and nodded.

"Just follow the plan, okay? Keep Charlie safe for me. He's going to be really, really mad."

"Get inside, Liv. We have to hurry." His voice was urgent. I nodded and slinked in the door. I took a deep breath.

"Dad!" I called loudly, slamming the door behind me, when I dared to take another look, Edward had already gone.

"Liv?" Charlie had been hovering in the living room and was already on his feet. I charged past him towards my bedroom. "Liv, are you okay? What's going on?"

"I'm going home," I shouted, hoping that whatever lies I was about to tell would be hidden by my breaking voice and thick lump in my throat.

"What-" he paused. "Did he hurt you?"

"No!" I shrieked, the idea of it was ridiculous by any measure. I was stomping up the stairs now and he was following me closely.

"Did he break up with you?"

"No," I almost rolled my eyes again. "I told him it wouldn't work out."

"What happened?" He asked as I made it to my door. He could tell that I wasn't being honest - how could I lie about Edward and make it believable? I slammed it in his face and locked it with my strap of leather, nail, and string. "I thought you liked him."

"I have more important things to worry about - things at home." Edward was in my room, packing my things already. Two duffle bags were full, one of clothes the other of necessities he thought I would need. I barely looked at what he had in there, but I did notice he had found my stash of money from inside of an old lamp.

"Viv," he said painfully through the door. "This is your home now, remember?"

"No, it's not." I hissed, my voice breaking dramatically. Katie would have been so proud of me. "I need to go back - you don't understand what's happened..."

"Tell me and we can figure something out." Edward shoved in my stuffed animal and a picture of Arie, Asher, Ty, Jenn, and I into the last bag and zipped it shut. He put the bag of clothes over my shoulder and squeezed it.

"I'll be in the truck - go!" he whispered fiercely, pushing me towards the door. I didn't need to look to know he was gone. I opened the door and Dad caught my elbow before I could fly down the stairs.

"I can't do this anymore! Not with what's happening at home-" or what was about to. "If you knew what was happening, you would let me go like that. I can't stay here, putting down roots and getting trapped like Mom! Look at how happy she is now," my words hurt even me.

His hand dropped from my arm like I had stung him. I turned away from his face, aghast with myself and headed down the stairs and towards the door.

"Viva, you can't leave now. It's nighttime," he whispered. I closed my eyes, Viva was an old nickname that I had given myself at a young age when the Spice Girls had made the song Viva Forever and I realized it really was a short form of my name. He had not used it since the last time I had stayed here for Christmas however many years before.

"I'll find somewhere to sleep on the way. Get coffee. I'll drive farther if I can just leave now, I have to get to her fast."

"Who is 'her'? Tell me what's going on. I can help," he pleaded. "Just wait another week," he pled. "Everyone will be back by then."

I was derailed from my act. "What?"

"Your mother called last night, I was waiting for her to call tonight to give you the news but you were out...Katie got a big audition in LA, they're taking a bit of a vacation for a week to go with her."

I almost fell to my knees in relief. They would not be in Phoenix; they would not be there when the hunter could possibly find me and by the time he was there, I would ensure that there was a reason for them to leave again, whether I would have to tell them to leave or if I had to burn my own house down. I would do it. Tears prickled my eyes.

"Good. More time with the people who need my help," I was so glad I hadn't lied much to him, it wasn't obvious what I was talking about and I knew I was confusing him. It would be easier this way, him thinking that I was doing something important. He'd probably assume I was helping Arie - I would have to be sure to text her.

"Bye, Dad." I went to turn the handle but he was right at my back, grabbing onto my shoulder which made his hand seem so much heavier with significance, though I knew it was my clothing bag.

"Don't leave, Viv-"

"Let me go, Charlie." The use of his name startled him enough to let me go, or perhaps it was how much I sounded like my mother. "I have more important things to worry about right now."

My cruel words did their job - Charlie stayed frozen on the doorstep, stunned into silence and submission as I dashed out into a yard that had never been quite as terrifying as it was this night. By the time I got there, I was shaking so much that I thought maybe the monster had already been started by Edward, tears blurred my vision as I trembled and started my truck.

I peeled out, nearly hitting the curb before I exited, my hands were white-knuckled against the steering wheel as my truck jerked in correlation with my tremors. I could barely look at Edward beside me, even when he put a hand on my cheek. I did notice him cringe.

"Pull over," he whispered as the house disappeared into the darkness.

"No." I whispered, keeping my eyes on the road and my hands strangling the wheel. I needed this distraction, even if I ended up killing myself and possibly scathing Edward while I shook. A single tear poured down my face - a sign of me falling apart. I wiped it away viciously.

As my arm went to go back on the steering wheel, one long hand gripped my waist and the other grabbed the steering wheel. He pulled me over his body, taking his foot on the gas the second mine left and nestled me on his lap in the fetal position I had so proudly fallen into. Another tear fell.

"You won't be able to find the house," he explained. Lights flared behind us, Edward could no doubt hear as my heart stuttered nervously.

"It's just Alice." his voice was assuring. He pressed his cheek against the top of my head.

"The tracker?" I asked and was surprised by how dry my throat sounded, but at the same time how tinny. Mechanical.

"He heard the end of your performance," Edward sounded grim.

"My Dad?"

"The tracker followed us. He's running behind us now." I squeezed my eyes together and pushed more into him. His one arm wrapped around me.

"Can we outrun him?"

"No." But as he spoke, he sped up. The truck was basically screaming in protest. He was going over sixty, just like Jacob had said not to and it was as if the truck were shuttering with me.

As I cuddled into Edward, gathering warmth from his cold chest, my plan suddenly seemed stupid. I closed my eyes and breathed him in, a third tear escaping.

"Oh God, I don't think I can do this..." I whispered in French. He squeezed me and harshly pushed his lips against the top of my head, taking a deep, shaky breath. He was scared, too. The truck shuttered, and I cringed out a dry sob as my eyes slammed themselves shut, ready for my impending death.

"Shh, it's Emmett." He coaxed, now stroking through my hair, still left down from the disastrous baseball game. "It's okay, Vivienne," he promised. "You're going to be safe."

"At what cost?" I felt more comfortable, speaking in French. He didn't seem to mind, he had switched to French when I had and I was impressed with his flawless pronunciation.

"Viva, it's another wonderful name." He smiled, trying to distract me. "Would you mind if I called you that every now and then?"

"You could call me Coca-Cola and I'd just be happy you were addressing me."

"I didn't realize you were still so bored with small-town life," he said conversationally again. "It seemed like you were adjusting fairly well - especially recently. Maybe I was just flattering myself that thinking I was making life more interesting for you."

"I was so cruel," I said, choked again.

"Don't worry, he'll forgive you." He smiled a little, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Viva, it's going to be all right."

"I can't do this without you." I whispered it very quietly and still in French, not knowing how much of what we were saying could be heard, but he didn't whisper as harshly as I did, so I knew we were safe.

"We'll be together again in a few days." He said firmly, his French so spectacular that I could barely believe he wasn't raised in it. "Don't forget this was your idea."

"It was a stupid idea. Who actuallylistens to my ideas?" He smiled, knowing that in the past, he never had. I nuzzled my cheek into him and he did the same with his cheek to my hair.

"Why did this happen?" I whispered in English, knowing that none of this was as. "Why me?"

"It's my fault," I hated how he sounded so disgusted with himself. "I was a fool to expose you like that."

"That's not what I meant," I insisted. "I was there, big deal. Why did this James decide to kill me? He must come across thousands of smart-asses."

He hesitated. "I got a good look at his mind tonight," his voice was low. "I'm not sure if there's anything I could have done to avoid this, once he saw you. It is partially your fault." His voice was wry. "You fascinate him. You're strong and your scent is so appallingly luscious, he might not have bothered. But when I defended you...well, that made it a lot worse. He's not used to being thwarted, no matter how insignificant the object. He thinks of himself as a hunter and nothing else. His existence is consumed with tracking, and a challenge is all he asks of life. Suddenly we've presented him with a beautiful challenge - a larger clan of strong fighters all bent on protecting the one vulnerable element. You wouldn't believe how euphoric he is now. It's his favourite game and we just made it the most exciting turn."

"He'd have killed me," I whispered.

"Yes, if I would have stood by, he would have killed you right then."

"I thought I was your brand of heroin..." I whispered hesitantly.

"You are. But that doesn't mean you aren't still a temptation to every one of them. If you had appealed to that tracker - or any of them - the same way you appeal to me, it would have been a fight right there."

I shuttered.

"I don't think I have a choice but to kill him now," he sighed. "Carlisle won't like it."

We were getting close to his house, I could just feel it. I looked up at him, realizing I needed to get up and be ready to move anyway. I needed to pull myself out of the fetal position while I could, because I knew myself and knew I could stay like that for hours.

"How do you kill a vampire?"

His voice was harsh. "The only way to be sure is to tear him apart and burn the pieces."

I tried not to let him notice how much the visual of seeing him torn apart made me nauseous. I had to turn away and close my eyes. "And the other two will fight with him?"

"The woman will. I'm not sure about Laurent. They don't have a very strong bond - he's only with them for convenience. He was embarrassed by James in the meadow..."

"Were I a vampire who felt little remorse for human life, I may have felt embarrassed too." I said sarcastically, upset with the word choice. I tried to swallow down my fear as I realized that his word choices were the least of our problems. "They'll try to kill you, won't they?"

"Vivienne, don't you dare waste any time worry about me. Your only concern is keeping yourself safe and - please, please - trying not to be reckless."

"Hmph," I scoffed. I was far too scared to be any kind of reckless right now. "Is he still there?"

"Yes, he won't attack the house, though. Not tonight." I tried not to think about what could happen tomorrow as he turned off onto the invisible driveway, the giant jeep lagging behind.

We drove right up to the house, which suddenly looked more daunting like when I had been expecting a vampire's lair. All the lights were on but they weren't enough to drive away the shadows of the forest, they all seemed to reach out to me. Emmett had opened my door before my truck was even stopped. He pulled me out of the seat, tucked me toward him like a football and ran me through the door. Suddenly piggybacking didn't seem so terrible.

In the large white room, with Edward and Alice at our sides, I saw that all of them were there. They were on their feet having heard our approach and Laurent was standing beside them - Emmett giving a disturbing growl as he set me beside Edward.

"He's tracking us," Edward announced loudly. He gave a glare that Laurent frowned to.

"I was afraid of that."

Alice danced towards Jasper and whispered in his ear, I could not hear what she said and for some reason I had a feeling she was trying to make it so Laurent couldn't either. By the time she was done Jasper had already grabbed her hand and rushed up the stairs with her. Rosalie watched them go before she moved toward Emmett - her eyes were intense and vicious when they looked upon me.

"What will he do?" Carlisle asked the olive-pallored vampire.

"I'm sorry," he answered grimly. "I was afraid, when your boy defended her, that it would set him off."

"Can you stop him?"

"Nothing stops James when he gets started." The shaking of his head was like he was mourning something that was already lost. I couldn't help but shiver and turn closer to Edward, he wrapped a protective arm around me.

"We'll stop him," Emmett promised the room. There was no doubt what connotations were hidden in his words.

"You can't bring him down," he argued. "I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven."

His coven? Had I completely misinterpreted what I had seen in the meadow? No. Emmett looked a little surprised too. I took that to be a sign that it was staged - something for us to leave our guard down on his decisions.

"Are you sure it's worth it?" There was no doubt what he meant as his eyes turned towards me and a part of me wanted to answer him and assure him that I wasn't, but the enraged snarl that ripped from Edward's chest stopped any comments from me - he was livid and I would not encourage his rage.

Carlisle looked at Laurent with grave expectation. "I'm afraid you're going to have to make a choice."

"I'm intrigued by the life you've created here. But I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won't go up against James. I think I will head north - to that clan in Denali." He looked at me quickly, a frown on his lips. "Don't underestimate James. He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won't come at you head on...I'm sorry for what's been unleashed here. Truly sorry."

"Go in peace," was Carlisle's former answer.

And suddenly, Laurent was gone.

The silence lasted under a second.

"How close?" Carlisle asked Edward. Esme was already moving, her hand touched an inconspicuous keypad on the wall and metal shutters groaned as they began to seal up the glass wall. For some reason, this did not surprise me. They began to talk as if they were used to speaking in these kinds of military tactics.

"About three miles out past the river; he's circling around to meet up with the female."

"What's the plan?"

"We'll lead him off, then Jasper and Alice will run her south."

"And then?"

"As soon as Liv is clear, we hunt him."

"I guess there is no other choice." Carlisle looked a tad disappointed, his face was grim but determined as he seemed to realize that it was kill or be killed - well, at least I would be.

Edward turned to Rosalie. "Get her upstairs and trade clothes."

"Why should I?" She sneered in disbelief. "What is she to me? Except a menace - a danger you've chosen to inflict on us all."

"Rose..." Emmett whispered, trying to calm her down. She shook off the hand he tried to lay on her shoulder.

I closed my eyes a moment. "She's right, I'm sor-"

"Esme?" Edward hadn't missed a moment and hadn't seemed to listen to a word spoken. Esme mumbled some sort of acknowledgement before she was at my side. She gave me a quick look that almost seemed to say 'trust me' before she gathered me in her arms - cradling me like a baby - before dashing up the stairs. I didn't have time to gasp.

"What are we doing?" I asked as she set me down in a dark bedroom that I couldn't identify.

"Trying to confuse the smell. It won't work for long but it might help get you out." I could hear her clothes falling to the floor and all I could think was how I was not as thin as this pretty woman and how her clothes would burst in comparison to my curves.

"This isn't going to-" but her hands were already pulling my clothes off, one by one, and tugging on things that seemed to be restricting my breathing. When she realized that her high-necked collar was a little too snug she gave it a little tear. It was comfortable enough to move my head and try to see what she was doing, but it was so dark I could barely see her hands on my own skin. The pants were far too tight and wouldn't do up - I couldn't help self consciously pulling the top down to cover that. I hope Edward didn't see...

When she pulled me back to the stairs I was disturbed to see my clothes swimming on her. Alice stood where she stopped with a small leather bag in one hand. Each grabbed an elbow and helped fly me down the stairs. I was glad I'd never known movement sickness.

I noticed that everyone downstairs seemed ready. Edward and Emmett were standing by the door, Emmett carrying a heavy looking backpack over his shoulder. Carlisle was handing small silver cell phones to both Alice and Esme.

"Esme and Rosalie will be taking your truck, Liv," he told me quickly. "Alice, Jasper - take the Mercedes. You'll need the dark tint in the south. We are taking the jeep."

Everyone nodded at their orders and I felt a pang of guilt ring through me. I did not like knowing that Carlisle was joining Emmett and Edward's hunting party.

"Alice," Carlisle asked softly. "Will they take the bait?"

Everyone watched the little pixie as she closed her eyes a moment.

"He'll track you. The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that." Though her words didn't seem certain, her voice was characteristically assured.

"Let's go." Carlisle began to walk toward the kitchen, Emmett following him and the others watching them go. There was a terrifying moment where I thought that they were going to leave without another word, but Edward was at my side, looking into my eyes as deeply as he could. As if trying to read my mind, as if trying to see into my soul.

He pulled my face up to his, lifting me to my toes. For the shortest second his lips were hard on mine, urgent. I reacted in the same way, not taking it further than letting him know my fear for him. Then it was over. He set me upright, still holding my face.

His eyes were blank and curiously dead as he turned away.

"Be safe," I whispered, sending the message to him but meaning it for everyone. He didn't stop walking and after another moment, I knew they were gone.

We all stood there, the others looking away from me as my breathing became laboured. The silence dragged on as I watched the door as if I could see everything that Edward was doing through it. I heard a rustle behind me.

"Now," Esme whispered. Rosalie stalked out the front door without a glance back, Esme touched my cheek as she passed me. "You too."

It took me a moment to figure out what she meant - that I should be safe as well - but as soon as I had thought of it the two were already gone, the sound of my truck thundering and fading away.

Jasper and Alice waited, far more patient and calm than I. Alice's phone was at her ear before it buzzed. She did not speak, but listened and then shut it with a snap.

"Edward says the woman is on Esme's trail. I'll get the car." I closed my eyes as she vanished, trying to keep all my panic from showing in front of Jasper and Alice, both so calm about everything that was happening, as if rabid vampires stalking the group of them were a common day occurrence.

But I knew it wasn't. This was because of me. Why had I spoken in the meadow? Why had I even said yes to going - I hated baseball. But I didn't hate Edward, and Edward had wanted me there. How could I have said no then? How could I have known that this could very well be the last time I ever see his glorious face, or worse, that he ever sees members of his family?

"You're wrong, you know." Jasper's voice rang from the corner o the room. It made me jump a moment and look at him in shock, watching as he stood a careful distance away. "I can feel what you're feeling now - and you are worth it."

"You're wrong," I mumbled quietly. "If anything happens to them, this will all be for nothing."

"You're not nothing," he said quietly, with a kind smile.

I stood there, trying to arrange my face to look somewhat grateful for his assurance before Alice stepped through the front door, her arms held towards me.

"May I?"

"Well, you may just be my new favourite," I informed with a watery smile. I went up towards her and let her lift me into her arms, let her shield me as easily and protectively as Emmett had. "You're the first one to ask."

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**Hope you liked it, the next few chapters will be a lot more dramatic - we'll see what you guys think. Anyway, thanks to my reviewer who is also my Beta...**

_Angel of the Night Watchers _**- you're amazing and everything sounds so exciting! I love everything you told me about it - I even looked up the dress, it's stunning! Is it getting easier now that it's getting closer, or does that make it more stressful?**

**Please Review!**

**-Egypt**


	21. Impatience

**Been a while since I've posted here, hasn't it? I have been so preoccupied by my other stories that I completely lost Vivienne's personal voice, so I had to reread the chapters so that I could get back into the proper flow of her. I will be finishing this up later on and then I will be taking a vote on whether or not to continue with a sequel as many seem not to care whether or not I do. Hopefully you guys enjoy!**

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Chapter 20 - Impatience

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When I woke up I was completely aware of where I was and at the same time, completely unmoved by it. My memories of coming to this boring hotel room were hazy, still twisted up in dreams and nightmares that had not let me rest or cry or breathe.

I tried to remember when I got here, how long I had been between these four melancholy walls, but I couldn't tell if it was night or day thanks to the thick curtains draped over the windows and the alarm clock that I had hidden in the closet - away from myself and my anxiousness.

My dream had left me feeling hollow, a disturbing feeling of nothingness draped around a feeling of complete despair. Jasper would know I was awake. I was glad, of course, that he had not decided to take control over my emotions to calm them yet, it was nice to take a moment and be myself and remember how I - Vivienne Swan - would react in this situation without the use of supernatural narcotics.

My dream, the one that left me aching and hollow, had been flashes of things I was too scared to see again: Charlie's broken expression – Edward's brutal snarl, teeth bared – Arie and I gripping each other at the plane terminal – Rosalie's resentful glare – Shawn teaching me which baseball cards I couldn't touch because they were his favourite – the keen-eyed scrutiny of the tracker – beautiful little Kate hissing at me in French over the dinner table because I would not participate in her newest attempt to win _America's Funniest Home Videos _– Alice's cool shoulder that had been such a sturdy surface on the ride here – the dead look in Edward's eyes after he kissed me the last time...I couldn't stand to see them. So I hadn't closed my eyes until I finally blinked away the sleep and found that they wouldn't open again.

I was not as charmed as I had always imagined I'd be now that I was home. I had thought that this would be some sort of celebration, some sort of vacation for me – the palm trees, the scrubby creosote, the haphazard lines of the intersecting freeways, the green swaths of golf courses and the turquoise splotches of swimming pools, all submerged in a thin smog and embraced by the short, rocky ridges that weren't really big enough to be called mountains.

Instead, it was like a walk to the gallows. Nothing about beautiful, shining, clear Phoenix was as I remembered it. Since when had the shadows been so pale? It was a blessing and a curse; nothing could hide in these shadows. But that also meant that I would not be able to hide in them either.

"Which way to the airport, Liv?" Jasper had asked, I had blinked up at him, watching him through the rear-view mirror with a look of confusion. Whether it be to my racing thoughts or the sleep deprivation, the words had not made sense to my ears. I could not understand them, like I had not been able to understand Edward after the almost-car-accident. It was like my mind had reverted to French – no, not French – to _fear_. Human instinct was not telling me to strategize, it was telling me to _run._

"Stay on the I-ten," I'd answered robotically, somehow placing my French accent onto the English words. "We'll pass it."

"I thought we were staying in Phoenix?" I'd asked Alice.

"We are, but it's better to be close, just in case."

How perfect a companion Alice had been. Though she looked so small and innocent, she was so sturdy and supportive, in more ways than just her rock-hard shoulder and her cool, calm demeanour. Alice was the only reason that I had not broken down and fallen into an asthma attack right there in the car. Both for the reason that she hadn't been surprised when I had tightly gripped her hand and because she had pulled out my puffer seconds before my lungs began to heave.

When I felt that I would be able to face Jasper's all-knowing feelings and Alice's all-seeing eyes, I rose to go out and meet them. On the way, I stopped to pull back the curtains - it was night. The airport was quiet, the hum of airplanes dull. It was very, very early in the morning

"Can I come in?" Alice asked. She must have heard that I was awake and moving, expecting me to come and join them. I was glad that she closed the door behind her, it was easier talking to Alice rather than Jasper. Jasper unnerved me because of how much his hunger unnerved himself.

I took a deep breath. "Hey, Alice."

"You look like you could sleep longer," she said carefully, I appreciated she was trying not to upset me with it. If the worst of my problems was sleep deprivation, I would have pulled an all nighter just out of the joy of it.

"Sleeping is worse." She may not remember dreams, I had not known how long she had been not-dreaming, but hopefully the idea would stay the same.

"We'll need to stay inside," she nodded, turning to the curtains and firmly shutting them back in place. Apparently I would not get to amuse myself watching the airplanes fight for the runway.

"I know," I whispered.

"Thirsty?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I'll live," I winced at the accidental jibe. "I mean, you know, I didn't mean it like - how's your throat doing? Are _you _thirsty?"

"Nothing unmanageable." She smiled, it was almost believable that she was happy. "I ordered some food for you, it's in the front room. Edward reminded me that you have to eat a lot more frequently than we do."

My eyes watered because of how I held them open like a deer in the headlights. "He called?"

"No," she watched as my face fell and she couldn't help looking guilty. "It was before we left."

She took my hand carefully and headed out towards the food that I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach. I could hear a low buzz of voices coming from the TV where Jasper sat, his eyes briefly flickering to me and back to the TV – though I'm sure he did not know what was on. I sat on the floor next to the coffee table, pressing my back against the arm of the couch. I used to do this when I was training for ballet; my teacher had chastised me every day for having such terrible posture. This had always made me feel like I was doing something, even though I inevitably slouched in class, but it was nice now to feel like I was doing _something _besides picking at some food I couldn't identify.

Alice perched on the arm of the sofa and stared blankly at the TV like Jasper.

I ate slowly, watching the two of them, turning now and then to pretend like I was eating some of the food which tasted like watered-down butter chicken. They were quite the sight to see – living statues that were so rigid and stiff it was like they were waiting for someone, or something, to – oh no…

"What's going on? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Her eyes were the most dishonest and innocent I'd ever seen them.

"You're almost as bad a liar as I am." I grumbled, knowing that if she did not want me to know what was wrong, I would never get it out of her. "What are we supposed to do?"

"We wait for Carlisle to call."

"Why hasn't he?" Ah. That. That was what was wrong – her gaze flickered to Jasper for a moment before she shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. My heart couldn't even begin to spasm in panic, but it missed beats as all my focus left the idea of living and turned to worry for the Cullens. "Why hasn't he, Alice?"

"It just means that they don't have anything to tell us, Liv." It was the most well rehearsed and shortest monologue I had ever heard. I felt my heart beat abnormally, painfully – Katie had that voice when she tried her Nancy Drew monologues, the ones where she's gotten caught doing something and has to lie her way out of it.

Jasper was suddenly beside Alice, closer to me than usual.

"Liv," his voice was suspiciously calm. "You have nothing to worry about. You are completely safe here."

"_Obviously,_" I muttered with a bitter frown. "I don't have near heart-attacks just because I'm afraid of the drapes clashing."

"Then why are you frightened?" he asked, confused. He was completely thrown off that I wasn't afraid of him or the other vampires. Was it really so hard to understand that I cared for them as well? Maybe. Maybe he didn't understand that to me, they were not the monsters they thought themselves to be.

"You heard him, he said James was lethal," I said in a whisper. "What if something goes wrong? It would be as easy for something to go wrong as for something to go right – even easier. If something happens to any of them: Carlisle, Emmett...Edward..." I gulped. "If that woman hurts Rosalie or – oh, _marde_, if she hurt Esme…How could I live with myself? This is my fault. This is all my fault. That you guys have even gone to these lengths for me is ridiculous-"

"Liv, Liv, _Vivienne_, stop," he interrupted me, his words pouring out so quickly they were hard to understand. "You're worrying about all the wrong things, Liv. Trust me on this – none of us are in jeopardy. You are under too much strain as it is; don't add to it with wholly unnecessary worries. Listen to me!" he ordered as I looked away. Maybe he did have more compulsion than I had a originally thought because I could not stop myself from looking at him. "Our family is strong. Our only fear is losing you."

"Which is stupid, I'm not-"

Alice touched my cheek with her cold fingers, her eyes more honest than I had seen them since the baseball game. She seemed to understand my worry, but she seemed to agree with Jasper. "It's been almost a century that Edward's been alone. Now he's found you. You can't see the changes that we see, we who have been with him for so long. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?"

Though the guilt slipped away, I knew it wasn't my own doing. Jasper was in the room and though I felt better, I had not changed my mind. So we sat there, at an impasse that had been completely manipulated.

The three of us stayed in the room. Alice called down to the front desk and asked them to ignore our maid service, but to send up food at regular intervals. She gave the deliverers large tips – I could tell by the rush of excitement they left in. The windows stayed shut, the TV on, though I couldn't bear watching it. The silver phone resting on Alice's bag seemed to draw out it's silence into the room with us as the hours passed.

My prison guards handled the suspense better than I did. As I fidgeted and paced, they simply grew more still, two statues whose eyes followed me imperceptibly as I moved. I occupied myself with memorizing the room; I had been in these too many times to count and yet, it was probably the most bland room I'd ever stayed in. Then again, usually when I was in here I was keeping myself occupied by sleep or with friends who had exciting things to talk about. Now I just had friends who were worried whether or not we would all live past this event.

As the afternoon wore on, I went back to bed, simply so I could have something to do. I hoped that the silence would force sleep and I hoped that the sleep would force delusions of Edward coming to claim me again.

But Alice followed me into the room casually, as if by some coincidence she had grown tired of the front room at the same time. Who knew what Edward had told her to do, but I as not at risk of harming myself, so I didn't know why she needed to follow me around like a lost puppy. Not that I minded her company, but the suspicion was nearly distracting. I lay on the bed, watching her as she watched me crossed legged on the end of the bed. I was glad she was here but I could no longer think of anything to say to her – not as Jasper's calming influence disappeared and left me panicky and struggling to keep my breathing controlled.

"Alice?"

"Yes?"

We did not blink or move our eyes, we were examining each other in our own ways. I don't know what I was looking for, but I knew that she had it. "Why haven't they called?"

"Carlisle wanted to lead the tracker as far north as possible, wait for him to get close, and then turn and ambush him. Esme and Rosalie were supposed to head west as long as they could keep the female behind them. If she turned around they were to head back to Forks and keep an eye on your dad. So I imagine things are going well if they can't call. It means the tracker is close enough they don't want him to overhear."

"And Esme?"

"I think she must be back in Forks. She won't call if there's any chance the female will overhear. I expect they're all just being very careful."

"That was really well practiced," I sighed, thinking of how perfect the explanations had been and how obvious it was that she had planned them out before I'd even asked.

"Liv, how many times do we have to tell you that there's no danger to us?"

"However long it takes you to tell the truth of it all."

"I will always tell you the truth."

She was so honest that I couldn't help but believe her, which made me deliberate what I should ask her next. I knew I should take advantage of that knowledge, but I didn't really know what there was to ask. I wanted to ask something about Edward – I wanted to hear someone else talk about him so that I knew he was real, that it wasn't just me, but I didn't want to hear Alice in pain as she spoke of him. I didn't want Edward to be in pain because I was speaking of him when he later heard – then again, the idea of Edward in pain gave me an idea of topics.

"Alice, how does someone become a vampire?"

"Edward doesn't want me to tell you that," she said quickly, but she didn't sound as firm as I would have believed. My question had caught her off guard and I could tell that she was debating whether or not to tell me, it was why she was so quiet.

"Edward seems to want you to stay quiet around me a lot."

"I know." But a small smile had tugged on her lips at the mention of it. It was a smile of remembrance, something I had not been witness to. But then her expression slid and she sighed in exasperation.

"He'll be _extremely _angry."

"It's none of his business, anyway. This is between us, like two friends at a slumber party – we are friends, aren't me?" It didn't sound manipulative because it wasn't. It sounded unsure. Something about Alice had lured me in and made me like her from the very beginning, as she must have known we would be all along, and she seemed to smile a little at the idea of it.

"I'll tell you the mechanics of it," she said finally when her eyes had told me she had decided. "But I don't remember it myself, and I've never seen it done before, so keep in mind that I can only tell you the theory."

"I don't want to think about you in pain anyway, so that's probably better."

"As predators, we have a gluton of weapons in our physical arsenal – much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those of us like Edward, Jasper, and I who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey." I had already seen these things; in the meadow, in their house, on the ice in the school parking lot. But Alice had something else up her sleeve, I could tell by her too-sweet smile. "We have another fairly superfluous weapon. We're also venomous," she said, and I couldn't help but notice that her teeth were glistening. "The venom doesn't kill – it's merely incapacitating. It works slowly, spreading through the bloodstream, so that, once bitten, our prey is in too much physical pain to escape us. Mostly superfluous, as I said. If we're that close, the prey doesn't escape. Of course, there are always exceptions. Carlisle, for example."

I clued in faster than I thought I would. "So it's the venom. When it spreads..."

"It takes a few days for the transformation to complete, depending on how much venom is in the bloodstream, how close the venom enters your heart. As long as the heart keeps beating, the poison spreads, healing, changing the body as it moves through it. Eventually the heart stops, and the conversion is finished. But all that time, every minute of it, the victim would be wishing for death." I shivered. "It's not pleasant, you see."

"If it's so painful for us-I mean, the human," I said quickly, she smiled a little. "But not for you, so why did Edward say it was so difficult?"

"We're also like sharks in a way. Once we taste the blood, or even smell it for that matter, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible. So you see, to actually bite someone, to taste the blood, it would begin the frenzy. It's difficult on both sides – the blood-lust on one hand, the awful pain on the other."

"They really made it difficult didn't they?"

"Yes, whomever created us did." She agreed. "It kills more than it saves – your body needs to be very strong to complete the transformation, you need to be near the prime of your years. An elderly man or woman would not have a chance at survival – their hearts are too exhausted to keep up with the venom."

"Is it luck to survive?"

"I don't think so. I think it's fate." Something in her voice told me she wanted to say something more but wouldn't, and I didn't want to push her when she had already broken Edward's rules of telling me about this.

"Why do you think you survived?"

"I don't know. I don't really remember anything from before this life, as Edward told you. For everyone else, the pain of the transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life. I remember nothing of being human." Her voice was wistful.

We lay silently, wrapped in our individual meditations – I tried to imagine what kind of person Edward, Alice and their family would have been before they were changed. Edward had been very handsome, I'm sure, even his vampire allure couldn't mask that he was more beautiful than the others in his family, save Rosalie who must have been striking. Alice must have been graceful, you could see it in the way she moved – more graceful than any of the dancers at my old school.

Using that exact grace, Alice leapt off the bed and stood as if a fire had been lit under her.

"Something's changed." She was not speaking to me. Jasper rushed through the door before she had even finished the second syllable, grasping her shoulders and pulling her to face him.

"What do you see?" he asked intently, staring into her eyes with an intensity that I knew meant trouble. Her eyes were focused on something very far away from the wall she was looking towards over Jasper's shoulder. I leaned in close, trying to catch her inhumanly fast words.

"I see a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold...a gold stripe across the mirrors."

"Where is the room?" Jasper asked calmly. It was obvious that this was something they did very often, question her while she was in the state of a vision.

"I don't know. Something is missing – another decision hasn't been made yet."

"How much time?"

"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now."

Jasper's eyes grew even more intense while he questioned her in that smooth voice of his. He didn't seem as calm as he normally did, which lead me to believe this was not good . "What is he doing?"

"He's watching TV...no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place."

"Can you see where he is?"

"No, it's too dark." She seemed devastated by this, so I placed my hand on her arm as soothingly as I could. I was surprised when her strong, cool hand slapped painfully against my hand to hold it there as if she needed the comfort.

"And the mirror room, what else is there?"

"Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's watching the VCR there, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits." Then, suddenly, her eyes refocused on Jasper's face and down to the hand she was holding against her forearm. She gave it a squeeze before releasing it – it was bruised.

"There's nothing else?"

Alice shook her head sadly. They looked at each other, having a conversation with their eyes and emotions that I would never be able to be a part of.

"So what know? What is he doing?" I asked. Neither of them answered for a moment, then Jasper looked at me, a forcibly calm expression passing over his features.

"It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room."

"And those could be anywhere?" I asked nervously, afraid that in her vision Alice might have seen a sign that read 'HE'S IN PHOENIX' somewhere in the rooms.

"Yes." Well, that was a relief.

"But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He'll elude them." Alice's voice was bleak, she did not want to admit the truth to me or to herself.

"We should call."

But then the phone rang.

Alice was across the room before I could lift my head to look at it. She pushed the button and held the phone to her ear, but she didn't speak first.

"Carlisle," she stated, as if telling the speaker his own identity. She didn't seemed surprised or relieved that he was calling – even though my heart stuttered dangerously.

"Yes," she said, glancing at me. She listened again. "I just saw him," she said before describing the two rooms she had seen. "Whatever made him get on that plane...it was leading him to those rooms." She paused. "Yes," Alice said into the phone. "Liv?"

She held the phone out to me. I ran to it, stumbling on the way and catching the phone as I fell onto the couch.

"Edward?"

"Vivienne," Edward said.

"Oh thank God! We can never do this again-"

"This was your idea, Vivienne," he sounded like that fact hurt him.

"I don't care, I've been so scared!"

"You don't have anything to be afraid of, Alice and Jasper will take good care of you." I wanted to interrupt him, but I couldn't bring myself to cut off is beautiful honey coated voice. When he was done for a few seconds, I continued.

"I'm not scared of them, Edward. I'm worried for you – all of you."

"_Liv_," he sighed in frustration, "I told you not to worry about anything but yourself."

"Where are you?"

"We're outside of Vancouver. I'm so sorry – we lost him. He seems suspicious of us – he's careful to stay just far enough away that I can't hear what he's thinking. But he's gone now – it looks like he got on a plane. We think he's heading back to Forks to start over." I could hear Alice filling in Jasper behind me, her quick words blurring together in a hum as I tried to comprehend everything I was being told.

"I know, Alice saw where he was headed."

"You don't have to worry, though. He won't find anything to lead him to you. You just have to stay there and wait till we find him again."

"If I'm not allowed to worry about you, you need to do it for me – stop being so carefree about this. Where are Esme and Rosalie?" I asked nervously.

"The female has been in town. She went to the house, but Charlie was at work. She hasn't gone near him, so don't be afraid. He's safe with Esme and Rosalie watching."

"And what has she been up to?" I asked as if I were asking about my next door neighbour. His voice grew darker even as he spoke of her.

"Probably trying to pick up the trail. She's been all through the town during the night. Rosalie traced her through the airport, all the roads around town, the school...she's digging, Liv, but there's nothing to find."

"And you're sure she won't be able to touch dad?"

"Yes, Esme won't let him out of her sight. And we'll be there soon. If the tracker gets anywhere near Forks, we'll have him."

"Just come get me, I don't like that you're not here." I tried to be quiet, I didn't like that Alice and Jasper would hear it and think that I was either insulting them or that I was being a baby.

"I know, Vivienne. Believe me, I know. It's like you've taken half my self away with you."

"The useless half," I muttered. He grumbled a warning, so I changed it. "Just come get me, Edward. Please."

"Soon, as soon as I possibly can. I _will _make you safe first." His voice was hard.

"Remember the kibbles and bits," I reminded him with a sad smile, he actually managed to laugh, albeit tightly.

"Could you believe that, despite everything I've put you through, I love you?"

"Or something like that," I corrected, not able to stand hearing the L-bomb, particularly if he wasn't here to try to make me believe it. He sighed, I could tell my comment hurt him.

"I'll come for you soon."

"You'd better."

As soon as the phone went dead, I could feel the reality that he was not here with me again. I could feel how, even with the two vampires that were here, vulnerable I was once again.

I turned to give the phone back to Alice and found her and Jasper bent over the cheap coffee table, where Alice was sketching on a piece of small hotel stationery. I leaned over the back of the couch, glancing over her shoulder.

She was drawing a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back that looked like it lead to doors. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist high, a long band. The band Alice said was gold.

"Arie always hated that bar," I said gravely, looking at the band that wrapped around the room with a frown. The two snapped their heads up to looked at me, surprised.

"Do you know this room?" Jasper's voice sounded calm, but I knew exactly what he was asking – yet I couldn't make myself believe that what I was thinking was true. Alice bent her head to her work, her hand flying across the page now, the shape of an emergency exit taking shape against the back wall. And the fire bell – ah, yes, she drew it right beneath the clock where Bianca and Leslie had once played with it in seventh grade until it wouldn't shut off. We had been forced to dance to the sound of he fire alarm as a recital was only a week away at the time.

"It's my old school. This is Dance Studio B, the one where all of us not-so-talented dancers went. Dance Studio A was right beside it, it had the better ballet bar, one that didn't give you as many splinters." I touched the page where the bar stretched around the mirrors. "There are three doors there, boys dressing rooms, girls dressing rooms, and this," I pointed to the left corner, "was the examination room. They would film our dances and exams and play them back to us so that we could all critique each other. It was cruel."

Alice and Jasper were staring at me.

"You're absolutely sure?" Jasper asked, still calm.

"Of course, I started this school in third grade and went up until this year." I traced my finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors. "This is here Arie and I became friends, when she pulled the sliver from my palm."

"Would you have any reason to go there now?" Alice asked steadily, her tone resembling a metronome. I knew what she was asking, I knew what she was implying and yet, I couldn't make myself believe it.

"It's spring break, no one I would want to visit is there." I thought aloud. "And now is not really the time to show you around my old hunting grounds – sorry, no pun intended."

"So there's no way it could be connected with you?" Alice asked intently, not smiling or frowning at my jibe.

"Not really anything present, just in the past."

"Where was this school you went to?" Jasper asked in a casual voice.

"A few streets down from Arie's house, which was only three side streets away from mine. We had a path that-"

"Here in Phoenix, then?" Jasper interrupted, his voice was still casual as if he knew how I tended to rant and simply cut me off to cut off my train of thought, not because he was terrified. Which it seemed like he was.

"Yes," I whispered. "I told you, just around the..."

I stopped, realizing what it meant when I thought of that final sentence. Who cared how close it was to me, I had no reason to go there…but it was, as I had said, _a few streets down from Arie's house_…

"Alice, is it safe to use this?" I had almost crushed the phone with my bruised hand and she seemed to see the urgency in my eyes.

"Yes," she reassured me. "The number would just trace back to Washington."

"I'm going to make a few calls and wrack up your phone bill."

"To who?"

"Arie first," I said quickly, dialling the number I'd memorized so many years ago. "Then my family, then Asher if Arie won't pick up."

"Don't tell them where you are," Alice said quickly. I didn't push the call button as I looked at her, torn, I needed Arie to know not to trust anyone and to stay away from that school. "And I thought that your parents were with Katie in New York?"

"They are – but I want to tell them not to rush back if they get a call from dad. Asher can talk to any of my other friends if Arie doesn't answer, as for her – I need to warn Arie myself." My voice cracked at the mere thought of having Arie involved in all of this. She would never live in this world of the supernatural, I would never let it happen – even though she would kill me if she ever found that out.

"Jasper?" Alice asked.

He thought about it, it looked like he was hesitating only because he saw the panic in my eyes. He knew what it was like to want to keep someone safe, he had Alice by his side right now. "I don't think there's any way it could hurt – be sure you don't say where you are, of course."

I pressed the green call button and it didn't ring twice before the phone was picked up.

"_What the hell do you want_?" Arie's voice, angry and irritated, was one of the most lovely sounds I'd ever heard. She was irritated because I was calling her but as I breathed a sigh of relief I was so glad that I did.

"Oh thank god, bunt-cake."

"_Hard-head_?" She gasped. "_What the hell were you thinking, telling your dad off and then driving home? Where the hell are you? He's calling me every hour to see if you've called me yet _–_ and you_ hadn't! – _and oh my god, how could you have not called me for over a day after you made some sort of decision like that? We're all going insane. I'll have you know that_-"

"Arie, stop."

"_Don't tell me to stop_!" She screeched. "_You scared the living piss out of me, young lady and if I had my way I would beat you with a rubber bat. A – rubber – bat, Vivienne! Oh when you get back here_-"

"Arielle, stop!" I yelled. Arie stopped immediately, knowing that what I was saying was very important if I called her by her full name – she hated that her mother had named her after the little mermaid. I could just imagine what Jasper and Alice were thinking as they listened to the conversation.

"_Vivienne Isabella Swan, what are you not telling me_?"

"Something's happened," I told her, throwing a glance towards Alice and Jasper, who were tense with worry over what I was going to say. "I can't tell you what's going on, but I need you to trust me. You need to stay away from downtown."

"_I _live _downtown, hard-head. And what do you mean you can't tell me? What the hell is happening in Forks that has you lying to me? You've never lied to me before this. Ever._"

"It's not a lie if I simply don't tell you," I informed. "I just need you to trust me. Arie, you're my best friend – I'd take a bullet for you, I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing."

"_Does this have to do with Edwin?_"

I closed my eyes, looking away from the harsh glare of Jasper's eyes. "No, this has to do with me. I did something stupid and now I need to live with that-" or not live at all. "And I need you to stay away from downtown."

Alice tapped her wrist, as if telling me that I was running out of time.

"_Vivienne, if you need help, we'll help you._"

"Not this time, Arie. You're my best friend," I reminded her in a whisper. "And I need you to promise me."

"_But_-"

"Promise me!" I ordered into the phone. She seemed shocked into silence for a moment.

"_Fine! I promise_."

"Thank you." I whispered. "I have to go. Tell everyone to stay away from downtown!"

And I hung up before I got to the point I wouldn't be able to. I gave myself a moment, a long, trembling moment before I opened the flip phone and dialled the next number. It rang six times and came onto the answering machine.

"_Sorry, we're not able to come to the phone right now because our little prodigy has taken us to New York City! Leave a message and when we get back, we'll be able to call you._"

The tone rang.

"Ma mere," I began, my voice shaking. I continued in French. "Please, please call me at this number-" I read the number Alice recited. "When you get this message. Don't go home, Arie called me and told me that Mrs Ruitts upstairs had some sort of accident and it's all crossed off with police tape. Before you freak out over what Dad said, please, please call me. I miss you, wish Katie luck and tell her that I'm sure she is doing amazing. Kiss Shawn."

I tried not to get teary eyed just at the idea that I may never be able to do those things myself.

"Au revoir."

And I hung up the phone.

I stood there with the phone in my hand for a long moment, a long, unhelpful moment where I let the depression of what just happened hit me. There was a moment, a very distinct moment, when the depression began to slip away and I was left with a numb feeling. Jasper, however, hadn't used his powers to get rid of whatever my reaction to this change of atmosphere would be. I shook my head angrily.

"I don't want to calm down!" I screamed at him, running away to the bedroom and being sure to slam the door behind me. I didn't want those cooling, calming tendrils to touch me – I didn't need him to be so ready to control me like that. Sometimes I wanted to be overcome with my emotions, sometimes I wanted to be able to know what my reactions were, because they were _my _reactions.

Neither Jasper or Alice followed me into the bedroom, like Alice had last time. I'm sure dealing with this came with years of patience with people like Rosalie – it was the only reason they should know how to handle someone so temperamental in comparison to their collected selves. But it took me having to grab my puffer to realize that I didn't feel Jasper's influence on me either – it was nice to know that out of all this, I had gained his respect.

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**A little different, isn't it? Luckily we are about to see many more of those differences in the next few chapters **– **Vivienne Swan and Bella Swan are very individual personalities; that's the only hint I'm giving you! To my reviewers:**

_Dr. Ellie Sattler_**: Thank you so much for reviewing, it is very touching. I am still getting very little response for this story so I will wait to see if the time writing it will be matched by the love of it and the want for it. Thank you very, very much!**

_chiriko1117_**: I'm glad that you took a chance and had enjoyed what you have read. I promise that things are definitely about to change from the plot points of SM, so I hope you stick around, thank you!**

_leftmysanityathome_**: Thank you very much, it's nice to know the point was not lost! All I wanted was for Bella to have some personality and if she couldn't do it herself, I'm glad Liv is living up to expectations :)**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: You are just amazing. You'll hear this on all the reviews that you get to read when you come back, but I'm excited to hear how it went! :)**

_BrokenYetDreaming_**: Hopefully you've enjoyed what you read, thank you for reviewing!**

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**I'm glad that people are starting to voice interest in the story, hopefully that continues because I still can't tell whether or not a sequel would be worth writing for your enjoyment, or if I should use that time for my other stories. I have so many great ideas for the next story, I just can't tell if it would be well recieved.**

**Please REVIEW!**

**-Egypt**


	22. Phone Call

**Well, another update for this! Tomorrow I hope to update **_Awfully Big Adventures_** and the next day will be **_Green Eyed Monster__**. **_**But oh my goodness, I can't even explain how excited I am for you to read this chapter…and to be honest, I don't even want to give you a hint why. Just read!**

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Chapter 21 – Phone Call

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When I woke up again I couldn't make myself move for fear of facing Jasper and Alice. They had been so kind to me and I had blatantly stormed away from Jasper and his handy bag of tricks and now all I could focus on was how ridiculous I had been. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the fact that I was switching days and nights, dreams and reality, my world was turning into some storybook that felt like it was leading to some terrible ending...

Alice and Jasper were talking outside of my room, which made it obvious that they were inviting me out in their own way. I knew they didn't need to speak loudly enough for me to hear, I knew they probably never did, but today they spoke louder than the television playing in the background and the sound was nice – I wouldn't have blamed them for giving me the silent treatment. It gave me just enough courage to pick myself up and walk out to meet them.

It was early in the morning, I could tell because of the terrible infomercials playing in the background. Neither Jasper and Alice looked at me when I walked out, which made me more nervous that I had misread their loud tones until I realized that both of them were hunched over Alice's drawing. She was now adding to it, or maybe she was drawing something new. I crept to Jasper's side to peak.

"Another vision?"

"Yes. Something brought him back to the room with the VCR, but it's light now."

I watched as Alice drew a square room with dark beams across its low ceiling. The walls were crisp and littered in posters and pictures, none of which she felt the need to draw. The floor was hardwood, but over it was laid a shaggy rug that had seen better days. There was a bay window against one wall, and doorway that had led to another room – through the doorway she drew you could see a bed. The door to the other room was the same style of door as a closet. There was a bookshelf between the connection door and closet, but one of the shelves was covered in awards instead of books. There were tons of awards. I couldn't help pointing in horror to the very side of the drawing.

"There's a bed there." Deadpan. It was the only way to explain how I must have sounded as I pointed to the side of Alice's drawing.

Both Alice and Jasper looked at me levelly.

"That's my sister's room." I pointed to the bed in the room it connected to. "That bed was mine."

I had never seen anyone, not even the vampires, move as quickly as Alice did then. Before I could comprehend she had moved Alice was across the room dialling the phone. Jasper slid beside me, I couldn't have told you when I sat down, but he lightly touched my shoulder which seemed to make his calming influence a lot more potent. The panic was there, but it was dulled, like I had been dunked in morphine. Alice's lips were trembling with the speed of her words, I wanted to know who she was speaking to.

"I'm sorry," it was the only thing I could think to say. It was the only thing that still made sense as the panic tried to fight against Jasper's calm compulsion.

"You don't need to be."

"I snapped at you, you didn't deserve it." I explained. "You don't have to do all this, but you are anyway."

"We already explained this, Vivienne," Jasper said firmly. "You are safe. We will ensure that you stay safe. You are more important than you know."

I nodded, though I didn't believe him. I couldn't help turning my head, looking to him in a haze – he must be trying really hard to dull my panic. It must be even worse than I know, because I was almost riding a high off of what he was feeding me.

"Jasper...am I going to die?"

"Liv," Alice said loudly, slapping the phone in her hand shut. I was startled by the finality of it and wondered if she was mad that I asked that question. I didn't mean to offend her – I had no doubts that they would keep me safe for as long as they could. I just didn't want them to have to do it forever.

"I'm sorry," I repeated. I don't know if either of us knew what exactly I was apologizing for when I said it to her.

"Liv," Alice had come to grip my shoulders, trying to focus me. It would not work. "Edward is coming to get you. He and Emmett and Carlisle are going to take you somewhere, to hide you for a while."

"Edward?" It was the only thing I caught.

"Yes, he's catching the first flight out of Seattle. We'll meet him at the airport, and you'll leave with him." I shook my head.

"Why is he in my sister's room, Alice?" I asked, not scared like I knew I should be – astonished.

"It's not going to matter. He's not going to be near you."

"It's my _sister's _room, Alice." The panic was getting worse; Jasper frowned as he realized that he was losing control over my emotions.

"Jasper and I will stay till she's safe. Until they are all safe."

"It's not going to matter." The panic rose again. "None of this is going to matter – he's immortal, Alice! He is going to sit and he is going to wait and he is going to hurt my family until I hand myself over."

"We'll catch him, Liv," she assured me.

"What about you?" I asked, feeling frustrated. Possibly because Jasper was frustrated that I kept fighting him. "What if he attacks you?"

I caught the look that Alice threw Jasper easily – it was a look that said 'stop her now'. It didn't surprise me when I felt a wave of drowsiness wash over me. It was unbelievably strong, who knew how long I had already slept for and even though I had just woken up, there was no way to fight it. It was like I didn't even remember what it felt like to be awake – all I wanted now was sleep. All I could understand was sleep. All I could do was sleep.

I don't remember how I got back into my room, I don't remember being tucked in as if I were a toddler, but I did remember feeling slightly calm enough to want to thank Jasper for making me so tired, there would be no way I would remember any of my nightmares.

It was the phone ringing that woke me up from the comatose Jasper had placed me in. To be honest, the ringing was such a beautiful sound, a sound that almost screamed _Edward_, that I didn't mind feeling almost hung over from the overabundance of sleep.

I hit my knee, hard, on the bed frame as I left the room. It was more than enough warning for Alice – who was speaking as quickly as I'd ever heard her. It was five-thirty in the morning, so she could only be talking to one person.

"Is Edward coming?"

"They're just boarding the plane," Alice explained, hanging up the phone. At my horror-struck impression, she frowned. "It was Carlisle, Liv, not Edward. They'll land at nine-forty-five."

He was almost here. I could wait four hours, couldn't I? The weight in my chest, however, thought otherwise as it seemed to pull my entire demeanour downwards and in on itself.

"Where's Jasper?" His absence, embarrassingly not noticed before, was most definitely the reason for my slow, introverting spiral.

"He went to check out."

"You're coming with us too?" I hoped so. Knowing Edward we were going somewhere safer than a bomb shelter in a nuclear war, and it would be nice to know that his whole family would be safe with us.

"No, we're relocating closer to your mother's house." The hope drained fast.

"I'll never forgive you if you die again, Alice."

"I know," she grinned, her smile too large for the poor joke I had said.

The phone shrieked again, making me jump about a foot in the air. Even Alice looked at the phone with surprise, but after the initial scare I was more excited than startled – Edward was calling for me.

"Hello?" Alice had flipped open the phone, she looked a little more relaxed when she heard the voice on the other line. "No, she's right here."

She held the phone out for me. She mouthed that it was for me.

"Hello?" I couldn't keep the excitement from my voice.

"_Where are you? This isn't funny. Answer me!_" That was my sister's voice, panicked and annoyed and sounding about ready to tear my throat out…maybe those kinds of imaginings weren't too far off from what could happen to me if James gets his way.

I was surprised to hear her voice though. Katie was only nine and had more respect for me as any normal little sister should. I was surprised that she was calling me, not having tattle-tailed on me to Mom in her worry – which I knew because if she _had_, Mom would have been cursing my ear off by now. Katie must have been near other people too, because she was speaking in English, which meant she wanted her audience to know exactly what was happening without being confused like when we cussed each other out in French across the dinner table.

"Calm down, Kates," I told her carefully. "I need you to calm down and listen. I'm fine, nothing is wrong, but I need to talk to Mom, okay?"

But she didn't answer me. She didn't start to ramble about how she missed me or how I had ruined her time in New York while she was auditioning. She didn't even want to tell me how the audition had gone – which was strange for my nine-year-old protégée sister.

"Katie?"

"_Be careful not to say anything until I tell you to_." That was not the voice of my little sister. This voice was a man's voice, high and soothing, like something you heard during a yoga class or in a self-help audio book. It was charming and smooth, it didn't have hiccups or cracks, it was flawless – which was why it was so completely terrifying.

"_Now, your sister is quite young and I do not feel want to harm her, so please do exactly as I say, and she'll be just fine_." He paused to see if I was going to be able to listen to him and I didn't dare glance at Alice to see how closely she was listening – she could probably already hear the fear in my heartbeat. "_That's very good_," he was kind about his own cruelty. "_Now repeat after me, and do try to sound natural. Please say, 'no, guys, you should stay in New York._'"

"No, guys, you should stay in New York." I couldn't even fool myself.

"_I can see this is going to be difficult_." But he didn't sound angry, in fact, he sounded quite pleased with himself. "_Why don't you walk into another room now so your face doesn't ruin everything? There's no reason for your sister to suffer. As you're walking, please say, 'no, please listen to me.' Say it now_."

"No, please listen to me," I was pleading with him not to harm her and it was the first time that I had ever made a lie sound convincing. I would have been proud of myself if I wasn't so terrified that the lie meant that I was separating myself from the only protection anyone I cared about had. But still, I walked quickly to the bedroom, knowing Alice was watching me like a hawk.

"_There now, are you alone? Just answer yes or no_."

"Yes."

"_But they can still hear you, I'm sure_."

"Yes." How could I lie to him when I was already having trouble lying to the people around me, the people who could keep me safe and yet I had to lie to so I could make sure my sister stayed alive? If I couldn't lie to them, there was no reason to even try lying to this monster.

"_All right, then_," the agreeable voice continued, "_say, 'you have to trust me.'_"

"You have to trust me."

"_This worked out rather better than I expected. I was prepared to wait, but your family arrived ahead of schedule. It's easier this way, isn't it? Less suspense, less anxiety for you._"

"Where is everyone?"

"_Do not deviate from what I tell you to say, Vivienne,_" I was disgusted by the fact he said my name as I always adored the Cullens saying it. "_Your family is safe, I just have your little brother and sister here _– _your parents don't get spring break off like they do._"

That was true. It was also nauseating. I held my breath to avoid from begging for their lives, which seemed to please him.

"_Better. Now I want you to listen very carefully. I'm going to need you to get away from your friends; do you think you can do that? Answer yes or no_."

"No." And I could not tell if I was happy or sad about that – they were providing me protection, but it was no longer me that needed it. Katie and Shawn, Shawn hadn't even made it his full first year of Kindergarten…

"_I'm sorry to hear that, I was hoping you would be a little more creative than that. Do you think you could get away from them if your siblings lives depended on it? Answer yes or no._"

"Yes." Not that I knew how, but there had to be a way. There had to be a way that I could escape the watchful eyes of Alice and Jasper if I did it on instinct, before Alice's visions could keep up to me. And I had to do it for my siblings, I would have no guarantees from his end, but maybe I could distract him for long enough that Katie could grab Shawn and run.

"_That's better. I'm sure it won't be easy, but if I get the slightest hint that you have any company, well, that would be very bad for the little ones_," it was a promise that I would not risk proving. Why couldn't Alice have seen this phone call happening when he decided it? Why couldn't she hear his voice through the receiver with her super-hearing? How could he have been this clever? "_You must know enough about us by now to realize how quickly I would know if you tried to bring someone along with you. And how little time I would need to deal with these two if that was the case. Do you understand? Yes or no_."

"Yes." I couldn't help but be angry about it – he was threatening my family.

"_Very good, Vivienne. Now, this is what you have to do. I want you to go to your home here in Phoenix. Next to the phone in your room will be a number. Call it, and I'll tell you where to go from there_." There was no point in wondering where I would be lead, back to the Hell that was school and then down to Hell for making a deal like this with the devil. "_Can you do that? Answer yes or no_."

"Yes."

"_Before noon, please, Vivienne. I haven't got all day_," he was smiling, I could tell.

"I'm sorry for being such a burden, then." It slipped out, just like in the meadow. I heard him laugh slightly into the phone, a bitter sound that marred the soothing voice he had.

"_Ah, be careful now, Vivienne. What did I say earlier_?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"_You're killing your siblings, Vivienne._"

I sucked in a breath, knowing that I was playing with fire and right there I had added too much flint. He waited to see if I was going to disobey his orders again before he seemed to smile back into his words.

"_It's important, now, that you don't make your friends suspicious when you go back to them. Tell them that your mother and sister called, and that you talked them out of coming home for the time being. Now repeat after me, 'thank you, mom.' Say it now_."

"Thank you, Mom." My heart was skipping beats, it didn't know how to make sense of everything that was going on – the rage, the disgust, the fear.

"_Say, 'I love you, Mom, I'll see you soon.' Say it now_."

"I love you, Mom," it sounded fake because I never used those words. It sounded unnatural. I heard him scoff slightly, as if he was amazed how defiant I was with such a simple thing to say. "I'll see you soon."

"_Goodbye, Vivienne. I look forward to seeing you again_."

Then he was gone.

I stayed in my room for so long that I couldn't tell if a day had passed, though I'm sure that my mind was just racing – like my heart was. My sister's voice was playing over and over in my head, like it was on repeat, like I was rewinding the misery and adding terrifying images to it – scenes in the woods or in the garage. I'd heard her use that voice in all her horror movies, when she would be walking into some murderer's trap. Just like I was. And she would always say it, always walk in on the danger so annoyed, 'so ready to die' as she used to say. Which was suddenly very appropriate. It was just like one of her movies, she even sounded like she was…

Wait.

Wait…

_Wait._

_No._

I _had _heard those words before. I had heard those words over and over, take after take, in the fringe of the nearest parks while she would weave between trees, ducking under the bushes and pretending to go looking after a snapping twig.

'_Where are you?_' she would yell, knowing that the twig snapping had come from her left. Then her head would snap to the right and she would say '_this isn't funny_!' and then, just as the stupid music we dubbed in later would start to squeal, she would yell for them to answer her – right before there was a lot of fake blood and gurgling noises she had taken weeks to master.

And Alice, Alice had seen him with a VCR, hadn't she? Hadn't she seen him in a dark room, looking through videos? What if he had been watching them – her horror movies? Her tries to get on America's Funniest Home Videos? Her collection of monologues she would do over and over, then re-watch over and over, to make sure that her facial expressions were perfect?

What if he didn't have Katie or Shawn at all?

I was moving before I realized I was moving, my body lurching over the bed and throwing the door open, unable to register the pain of running it over my foot. I fell against the couch when I reached it, my breathing fast and my chest heaving. Alice looked at me like I was possessed.

"Liv, are you okay?" Her eyebrows were furrowed, her eyes confused to my panic. "You sounded very concerned on the phone. You barely sounded like yourself."

"Alice, do you love me?"

"You don't use the word love." Of course Edward had informed her of that – maybe that's why she hadn't trusted the phone call where he had told me to tell my mother that I loved her. I never said that to her, not ever.

"Alice," I looked at her with as much seriousness and genuine sternness as I could muster. "Do you _trust _me?"

"Of course I do, Liv." Her eyebrows were still furrowed. "What's this about? What did your mother say to you?"

This was it – this was the chance I was taking against my brother and sister and for my instinct. My raw instinct that screamed to me that though it was wrong, I was _right_ to say what burst from my mouth.

"That wasn't my mother, Alice." I said evenly.

"Vivienne…" she seemed to know what I was saying, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it. I didn't blame her, I was still catching up to my own thought process.

"That was James. And he didn't want me to tell you this." I took a deep breath. "But he says he has my brother and sister–"

"What?"

Jasper had returned when I was on the phone, and I had not realized until his voice floated over my explanation. I looked from him to her before I nodded, trying to convince them – though they both looked very convinced – that I was telling the truth.

"He says he has my brother and sister," I repeated. "And I think he might be lying."

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**WOW! And I bet you all thought I would stay consistent to the book the whole way through…well, this must be quite a shock! Man, I have been waiting to do that since I started this story and I am SO glad that the serious deviations can begin! To my fantastic reviewers:**

_grapejuice101_**: I'm glad you enjoyed the last update, hopefully this one got your adrenaline pumping! Thanks for the review!**

_Ariella Jones_**: Wow, thank you so much, that is an amazing compliment! I'm glad that you like Vivienne so much, hopefully this chapter really drove that home, and I'm glad that you feel that this is better**–**I'm honoured! Thank you very, very much for the review!**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: Yay, you're back! I thought about getting this one through you first, but I thought you deserved to be a little surprised and not have to get straight back into editing after your honeymoon. It sounded amazing! What was nicer, the wedding or the honeymoon?**

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**Well, now that you've seen I'm not afraid to mess with SM's original plot **–** does anyone else think they might want to see a New Moon rewrite? I do have a lot of not-very-Steph-Meyer ideas for it, but I won't write it if it is an unpopular vote. Please let me know and **_**REVIEW**_**!**

**-Egypt**

_**Sorry if you just got another message about this. This chapter was changed by a hacker and has been rebooted as it was.**_


	23. Hide and Seek

**Hello! I hope everyone had a fine long weekend - or at least, we had a long weekend here in Canada, I guess I'm not sure what countries celebrate the May 2-4 weekend. Anyway, I won't keep you waiting much longer as this is very exciting considering I shook things up at the end of last chapter. First, however, I need to send out a huge thanks to my editor **_Angel of the Night Watchers _**for being amazing and coming back to fixing what was probably a ton of mistakes.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 22 – Hide and Seek

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"No." Jasper said firmly. "Absolutely not. We can't let you do that, Vivienne."

"Why not?" I couldn't keep the frustration from my voice. "Just because Katie was saying words I've heard before doesn't mean that I'm right about this. He could have Shawn and Katie and what then? I'm not just going to let them die!"

"She's right, Jasper." Alice whispered. "We need to listen to her."

And so the argument began again. It had been like this for the past three hours, biding our time before Edward's plane landed and our choices would be made for us. He would soon land, only a short hour before he would have me in his arms. It was the most bittersweet feeling anyone could ever feel. Because as much as I _needed _him to be here right now, we all knew that Edward would not allow for any of this. None of these, admittedly, ridiculous plans would happen under his watch and as soon as Edward read the two vampires minds, he would grab me and take me on the next plane before we even left his arrival terminal.

"We'll wait for Edward," Jasper said simply. "It's not our place to risk you."

"And it's not his place to sacrifice them!" I howled back. "Jasper, he doesn't care about my siblings, he doesn't care if my entire family is wiped out-"

"That's not true," Alice said quietly, but her voice was not certain.

"It _is _true. The only reason he cares at all about them is because I care about them. If he finds out that they are in danger and the only way to save them is putting me in danger, he will let them die without a second thought." There was no doubt in my mind about it and even though it wasn't the most comforting thought, I didn't think less of Edward for it. I guess when you lived for over a hundred years you learned different priorities. I was only seventeen years into this life. I was not ready to end it and I was not ready to be the reason that other lives ended. Particularly my younger siblings. Particularly the siblings that I needed to protect because I was their oldest sister, and lord knows Mom wouldn't do it.

"She's right, Jasper." Alice whispered, looking toward him meaningfully. She even took hold of his hand - I wanted to throw myself at her feet, I was so grateful. Alice was the only one on my team. Something told me she would always be the only one on my team.

"I can't let them die, Jasper." I said to emphasize it.

He concentrated on Alice, not even glancing to me for a long while, silent conversations passing between them that I would never have been able to keep up with. After too many minutes of silence, he spoke - eyes still trained on Alice.

"We will go. You will stay where it's safe."

"No!" I said quickly. "He said he'd know if I brought anyone. If you guys just barge in, you don't think he'll just kill them and run?"

"If he has them," Jasper pointed out.

"'If' is a lot scarier than 'doesn't'!" I snarled.

Jasper looked at me, a feeling of calm sweeping over me again. It was a feeling that I knew I would feel eventually and fought against as if he was trying to drill me to murder my brother and sister myself.

"If you're going to just overrule me because you're all-powerful," I hissed, standing up, not feeling any guilt like I had the last time I had snapped at him. "Don't you dare try to control me because I don't like it."

I stormed out of the room, slamming my bedroom door behind me. It was like I had cut off the waves of serenity that he'd been drowning me in - which was nice. The anger was nice. It made me think faster, it made me remember why I needed to think past all this. If no one was going to side with me - as much as Alice would side with me she would never actively fight with me - I needed to take the battle into my own hands.

Was there any way I could explain to Edward how important this was to me?

Improbable.

Was there any way I could convince him to wait even three minutes before he came in on his noble steed to save the day?

Impossible.

Was there a way that Edward didn't need to know?

No. Even if I could convince Alice and Jasper not to tell him, all these conversations were open books to him thanks to his special abilities. How was I going to convince all of them that the lives of Shawn and Katie were important - and that I didn't have an ounce of doubt that if that hunter _did _have them, he would kill them with only a hint that they were behind me, nevertheless there to replace me?

Maybe…marde…maybe they didn't have to know?

"Alice?" Jasper's voice was loud enough to filter through the hotel room door. It was loud and alarmed - I could only imagine what Alice was seeing. She was probably furious with me, she was probably just waiting for the moment when her vision would end and she would scream at me for even entertaining the idea that I would go save Katie and Shawn on my own…

Then again, if Alice was seeing it, I wasn't really entertaining the idea, was I? No. It was clear that I was now living it. I knew what I had to do because I would be the only one to do it. It was my job to save them just like Edward always felt it was his job to save me. Only this time I was right and I wasn't a delusional vampire who believed in love and didn't understand what I was getting myself into. This was my family. There was no mistaking this.

"Vivienne - oh, Liv…" Alice's voice was a moan, it was filled with dread - perhaps it wasn't the best idea to go on my own…

Less than a minute later there was a knock on my door and without me answering it, Alice waltzed through, her eyes looking at me and around me warily. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," I answered robotically. "Are you?"

"Fine," she repeated in the same way. "Jasper went to wait downstairs. He believes that Edward needs to be informed of everything the minute he lands. You won't have a chance to explain yourself before Jasper explains it for you."

I nodded slowly. "What did you see, Alice?"

Her eyes lowered respectfully, though they were filled with guilt. "That we can't let you go alone. Liv…you'll die."

Die. That was a very _final _word.

"So…that's it."

"That's it," Alice nodded. "Vivienne, I swear I will not let Edward just sacrifice them. I will go myself if I can't drag anyone else with me - your siblings, whether there or not, will not be left without someone to fight for them. I will go there."

"Promise?" I asked, fighting back tears. She came towards me and wrapped her cool arms around me. It was more comforting then I could ever have admitted. It reminded me of Edward. His cold, solid arms that I would feel so soon…but would I ever be able to be comfortable in them again? If something were to happen to Katie, to Shawn…I would never be able to look at him again. If something happened to them, these solid holds would feel like the jail bars that kept me from escaping, helping _them _escape…

"I promise." She whispered into my hair.

"You said you would never lie to me. You said you trust me," I elaborated. She pulled away slightly to look at me, but as she did her eyes glazed over. I knew what she was seeing, that I had decided that I would go with her if this happened. Her brows furrowed, a grimace gracing her beautiful features.

"I can't let you do that either." She whispered once her eyes had . "I'm sorry, Liv - every way you choose to do this, something terrible happens to you. You keep worrying about your siblings, I respect that. You keep worrying about Edward's reactions, I understand that. But you don't understand - I love you, too. I can't lose you either."

I looked at Alice, my heart swelling for her as if Jasper was making it grow Grinch-style. I threw my arms around her again, if she was going to save my brother and sister I would owe her more than my life - and the best thing about Alice was that she didn't really expect me to ever pay her back with it anyway.

"I love you too," she smiled. It was a sentiment I would never say out loud, which she knew, but if I would ever say it to anyone, Alice was the closest to the gold. "Let's go beat down Edward."

"Magnifique! Nous permettre d'aller." She seemed to understand what I said because she agreed that we should go as well. Jasper was waiting like a body guard downstairs near the check out, it seemed he'd already told them we were leaving.

"Did you want breakfast?" Alice asked as we walked into the airport, the claustrophobia of people moving around me - completely oblivious to the problems in my world - made me reach for my puffer. It was stuffy in Phoenix. I had forgotten how much cleaner and sharper the air was out in the middle of nowhere compared to the smog and humidity of the city and found that it took a little longer for me to jump back to normal breathing.

"You alright?" Jasper asked, he had probably felt the small bit of panic I always got when my airways swelled.

"Fine," I nodded. "I'm sure Edward will force feed me later, so I'll wait."

And we did wait. I sat jiggling my knee on the stiff airport seats of terminal four, just imagining that Edward was on the plane doing the same. I imagined what it would be like when he came out and held me, telling me that everything would be okay, telling me that he would keep me safe.

And then I felt my thoughts drift - to his head snapping up at the sound of Alice's thoughts, to the anger that I had tried to save them alone, to him hauling me over his shoulder despite the crowd around us and marching us to the nearest open gate.

"Alice, the things you see," I began slowly, watching Edward's gate as if his plane had landed and he would walk through it any moment. "Is it indefinite?"

"No, things change..." she said slowly. "Some things are more certain than others...like the weather. People are harder. I only see the course they're on while they're on it. Once they change their minds – make a new decision, no matter how small – the whole future shifts."

I nodded thoughtfully. "So you couldn't see James in Phoenix until he decided to come here. That's why you could tell me what would and wouldn't work."

"Yes," she agreed, somewhat wary. "Why do you ask?"

"You're not going to know what Edward will do," I whispered. She frowned, her whole face pulling down into a grimace when she realized what mindset I was on again.

"No, I won't be able to see that." She took my hand in hers. "But Liv, I have seen what happens if we don't wait - and it is not something we should try to change. I say we should avoid it all together."

Avoid my death. But not Katie's or Shawn's.

"Right," I nodded again. "Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure, may I ask who you're calling?" she handed over the silver flip phone without hesitation, though I could see on her face my previous question unnerved her.

"I just need to hear Arie's voice." That was true - I just hoped it didn't sound like a lie. I just wanted to be sure before I did anything reckless, isn't that was Edward had always told me to do? I took the phone and dialed the familiar number, walking a little farther away from Alice and Jasper for some privacy.

After the fourth ring I was sure I would not receive an answer, until -

"I'm sure I didn't say you could call this phone." I couldn't believe how relieved I was to hear his voice - the cool, melodic tenor voice that had possibly stolen my brother and sister. It was a relief he had picked up, I wouldn't know what to do otherwise.

"Hello Arie," I said with forced cheerfulness. "How are you?"

"Oh, you're still with your guard, I take it?" his voice had gone back to it's amused, which was comforting that he hadn't decided to be angry over my disobedience.

"I am. I just-" I choked a little as my heart began to stutter. "I just needed to hear my favourite couples voices."

Would he catch on to what I was saying without me having to say it? If I had to say it, Alice would know I was betraying her and he would know I was risking selling him out. If he _did _have my siblings then, he would be sure to kill them.

"My, my, I won't deny I'm starting to understand his interest in you…" his voice hummed at the other end. "You're either very brave or very stupid, do you know that?"

"I'll go with that first one," I muttered a little more bitterly than I should have - if Alice and Jasper could hear me they would know that I wouldn't have sounded so low talking to my best friend. "So where's my favourite boy?"

"These are not your terms, Vivienne," he told, his voice growing a little more stern.

"One second, I just need to ask Alice and Jasper for money." I said with a sternness all my own. I held the phone down a little bit as I walked up to Alice. "Hey, Alice, would you mind giving me some money for a coffee? I'll just be in that line right there."

The line was easily seen from over here - a curvy, snake of a line at starbucks that had so many people in it I could only hope that I would be able to duck between them to try and not be heard if I needed to get stern with the voice at the other end. Alice, looking a little confused handed me a twenty dollar bill.

"Hurry back, you only have fifteen minutes." I almost winced as she said that - I didn't want him to know that in twenty minutes the other half of this vampire brigade would land in the very city he was threatening me from.

"Yeah, sure." I whispered, nabbing the twenty from her and speeding to the starbucks line. I put the phone to my ear again.

"Where are you, Vivienne?" his voice was lower than before - it had dropped from his amused tenor to a serious baritone. I almost smiled - I hoped he felt antsy.

"Certainly not on vacation." I responded wistfully. "So, can I speak to them?"

"You forget who's in control here." He hissed back. I shook my head, though I know he couldn't see it.

"No, you do." The woman who was in line in front of me looked back after hearing my firm and angry tone, she seemed concerned I was angry with her. She turned around when I openly glared at her to stay out of my business. "I have my friends here and I don't _have _to go get this coffee - I could do something else with what time you're offering. I could show them around Phoenix, I could take them to see my house, I could even take them to visit _you_."

There was a long silence on the phone, no heavy breathing or anything could be heard so I tried to hold my breath, and when that failed, I pushed the phone away from me for the moment it took me to grab my puffer from the small purse I was carrying around. When I put the phone to my ear, there was a voice speaking.

"Livi? Livi?" the voice was small, like it had been squeezed between fingers or cheeks were being pinched in the background. It was squeaky…and terrified. "Livi, where're you?"

"Shawn?" my heart broke when I heard him inhale.

"Livi! I met a new friend!" Tears jumped in front of my vision and I found myself pulling myself outside of the line so that I could more easily sit myself down on the ground. It wasn't five seconds before Alice was in front of me - she knew.

"That's so great, sweetie. What's your friend's name?"

"His name's James, he likes my baseball cards! He said you played baseball with 'm. Livi, why don't you play baseball wif me?"

I broke. There was no way I couldn't break, his voice was so innocent and his voice was so obviously Shawn's voice - only Shawn could be so insulted to find out he had not been invited to a baseball game. Tears poured down my face and obscured Alice's face in front of me - but I could tell she could hear what was happening. She could hear his voice on the other line.

"We'll play baseball next time," I promised. "Where's Katie?"

"She's sleeping. She's so s'eepy that she hasn't woken up aaall day!"

"All day?" I gasped, trying to keep my voice even through the sobs that were choking me. "Can you…can you put your new friend on the phone?" I needed to pretend like Alice wasn't right in front of me. I needed to pretend like I was strong - for my little brother.

"Is that what you wanted to hear, Vivienne?" the tenor voice was back, smug and amused by the power he had of the situation. "I do hope you haven't given yourself away.

I looked into Alice's eyes, watching as she shook her head very minutely. I took a deep breath, using her gaze as an anchor as I responded, "no."

"Do I hear tears?" he asked, a pleasant tone to his voice. "I really hope you understand the severity of the situation. If any of your - what did you call them, _friends_? - were to be let in on what was happening here, I would hate to have to play one last game with little Shawn. Do you understand?"

"Why is she so tired?" I asked, my body trembling slightly as I tried to stand. Alice put her arm firmly under my elbow as she realized what I was doing. I was on my feet in a moments time.

"She was less excited over our little get together than Shawn was. She can be quite the little banshee - so I thought it might be better for her to sleep off her upset." I took a deep breath, Alice pulling my puffer from my purse - but I didn't need to take it yet. The adrenaline was distracting me from the pull at my lungs, I had more important things to focus on.

"I'm convinced."

"Good," he genuinely sounded pleased. "Call the number you find at your house, Vivienne. Oh and do come alone, I don't think Shawn needs any more friends that can crush him."

The line went dead.

"He has them," I whispered to her as I shut the phone. "He really has them."

"I saw," she whispered. "I saw when you called - he hasn't decided what to do with them, Liv. He isn't resigned to them dying."

"Where's Edward?" I whispered. "He has to let me save them - Alice, I _have _to save them."

She nodded, focusing so hard that her eyes glossed over - was she forcing a vision? I would never know, but she answered me quickly. "His plane just landed, he'll be here in a minute and forty two seconds."

It was all I needed to know. Leaving Alice to resurface from her own vision, I started making my way toward his gate - I had no doubts he would be the first out of the door and, after a minute and forty-two seconds, I saw him…or maybe didn't see him was more appropriate, because as soon as I could register that the door was open, I was folded in his arms - trying to control myself.

It was Edward. My Edward. These were his arms and this was his smell and this was the safety I had missed. His voice, his velvet and honey voice, was soothing me more than any of Jasper's lethargic waves could have and after I had gained strength from his whispers I pulled away to look at him.

He was still as stunning as I recalled, his golden eyes were tormented and close to black, but otherwise he was still just as perfect. I looked to him, trying to push back the tears that threatened me again - I did not normally cry and I did not like feeling like it was taking over me.

"We're saving them, Edward. Iam saving them, even if I have to go there myself and give you a signal." his frustrated eyes looked over my shoulder for a moment, he was clearly listening to Alice or Jasper's thoughts, I could not tell what he was being told.

"You're sure he has them?"

"I could hear Shawn's voice. Shawn spoke to me, he answered my questions." I sniffled. "He's only four, Edward. Katie's nine. I have to do this."

"I can't let you," it sounded like he was in pain as he said it. His face looked tormented - it was a terrible look on him. "Please, don't do this."

"Then don't make me. We can figure out a plan," I looked behind me to Alice and Jasper, both of which were looking and obviously communicating with Edward with their thoughts. Behind him, I could vaguely see Carlisle and Emmett over his shoulder.

"One where you're safe?" he scoffed. "Vivienne…"

"Edward," I whispered back. "I'll do this with or without you. I'll call him when you're on your way and warn him not to harm them, I'll…I'll sneak out. I'll run away. I'll kill myself if that would make him happy because I can't get away from you-" his face was completely mortified. "They're so young and Katie is so scared…I need to do this."

Edward frowned, taking a long moment to look over my shoulder again, to look at each individual member of his family. He turned to me again, his face somber and determined in a way that I had never before seen it. He was terrified, it was the only reason, perhaps half as terrified as I was. He pulled me close, crushing my lips against his own. They were cool and calming and the only light in this dark event.

"We need a plan." he said finally, when he could pull himself away. It almost look like he were near tears - were he able to cry, of course.

"Luckily for you, I'm actually good with plans when you shut up long enough to listen."

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**So, what did everyone think? This is definitely a lot different than the book itself and I know normally this chapter also would have hosted James attack on Bella - but this is Liv, not Bella, and she decided that she wasn't going to leave things up to chance, so it all goes down next time! To my wonderful reviewers:**

_grapejuice101_**: I'm so glad that you're enjoying the changes and the chapters! Thank you so much for the review, it's super encouraging :)**

_frenchy girl__**: **_**I'm glad you like it and hope this chapter didn't disappoint. Thank you so much for reviewing!**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: I agree that it was smart to tell them. When I first read the book I was like 'you think Alice would let Bella out of her sight for one second if she had that vision? No way', so I'm glad that Liv has decided to be a little more responsible with herself. As for the wedding/honeymoon thing - I think that's super sweet! You make me envious! Thank you as always :)**

_DGfleetfox_**: Wow, thank you for those compliments! I really appreciate all of that - I like strong female protagonists too. Thank you so much for reviewing!**

_purplepenguin13_**: Thank you for the review, I really hope that I get enough interest to do the New Moon rewrite, I have the most interesting ideas to go along with it! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter :)**

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**Well, another chapter come and gone - but the next one will be all action. Hopefully you liked the drama that has ensued...please, please **_REVIEW_**!**

**-Egypt**


	24. The Angel

**Oh man, this is…a very intense chapter. This story is almost done as well…so please, please review while you still can! This chapter is dedicated to **_Feenrai _**for the numerous, epic, and wonderful reviews!**

**Enjoy :)**

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Chapter 23: The Angel

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_Esme can still see the woman?_

_Yes. Liv, stay calm._

_The woman is staying away from Charlie?_

_Yes. Liv, this won't go wrong. Please stay calm._

_I'm almost home. Is Edward okay?_

_He will be if you stop texting and showing how nervous you are. We're barely keeping him calm. Please stop making him more nervous. Text us when you're moving again._

Then, one from the same phone but obviously a redheaded user. _No, keep texting every minute. I need to know you're okay. Don't you dare get hurt._

I sighed loudly, causing the nosey cab driver to look back at me through his rear view mirror. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at his reflection, which caused his eyes to flicker back to the road nervously.

"Hey, what was the number?" he asked, looking out the passenger side window at the houses we were slugging past. I looked as well while I answered.

"It's eight fifty-seven, the one on the left there. The red one."

I sighed and pulled out my cell phone again, sending Alice, Edward and those huddled around the phone a quick text that read '_I'm home._' and stowing it away in my pocket. I threw the three bills onto the seat ahead of me – I'd refused to let Edward pay any more of this rescue mission – before I climbed out of the cab without so much as a thank you. I couldn't be bothered with it right now and he had been standoffish anyway.

Climbing the uneven cement stairs up to my off-white front door, I slipped my keys out of my purse and opened the lock. It clicked as if I hadn't been gone at all, opening carelessly into the dim hallway. No lights were left on in the house – mom was a Nazi about it – and it didn't smell of cooking like it usually did. The whole house seemed…_stale _somehow.

I ignored the kitchen, which was warmer than normal because the air conditioning wasn't running, and walked through the hallway and up the stairs, turning to my bedroom – it looked untouched, save for the few baseball cards that Shawn had left near my bed. He'd always wanted my room, thanks to the fact you could see the park out the window – he liked watching people, just like I did.

Beside my bed, on the bedside table that Arie and I had taken a hot glue gun and brightly coloured Barbie jewels to, was a white piece of paper. Apparently all vampires had neat writing because there in neat calligraphy was a ten digit number. The writing was too neat to be mine at it's best, so I knew this was the number to call.

_Calling him_. I couldn't help but text. There was a part of me, a very selfish and terrified part, that wanted Edward to storm in and scream at James over the phone while the others did what needed to be done to keep my brother and sister safe – but that part would not win over the dread and acceptance that it was _me _that he wanted so the person who had to deal with this was me as well.

I fumbled as I dialled, making me have to do it twice before I heard a ringing in the background. He answered almost immediately. "Hello, Vivienne. That was very quick. I'm impressed."

"Me too," I muttered bitterly. "Where are Katie and Shawn?"

"They are perfectly fine. Don't worry, Vivienne, I have no quarrel with such small children. Unless you didn't come alone, of course." I hated how amused he sounded, how this was all a game to him. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I'm alone." It did not sound like a lie because it was not a lie. I was alone. I was _very _alone. He did not need to know that I wouldn't be alone for long.

"Very good. Now, I'm sure you remember the way to your old school, don't you?"

"Sadly."

He chuckled. "Your nerve really is inspiring, you know. From cursing to breaking rules – you would be a fine trophy. I understand him now."

"Flattery will get you nowhere. Let's get this over with."

"Well, then," his voice had darkened though it had not decreased his bright, amused tone. It was ominous. We both knew what was coming. "I'll see you very soon."

He hung up.

I breathed slowly, nodding my head. "You'll see _something_, that's for sure."

I took a minute to breathe. Even though I knew everything that was at risk, I couldn't help but think that I deserved at least that much. In that minute, I took my puffer out of my purse and inhaled the medicine sharply, after a moment it let me feel close to normal again. It let me take a few deep breaths, breathing in the idea that soon I would be carrying Shawn and Katie back through these doors and tucking them in. I would make sure that they were safe and then Edward and I would just run away for a few days – go somewhere open where he could be the starlight during the day and we could watch the stars at night until I fell asleep.

I took out my phone, texting and changing my message three times before I decided it was sane enough to send.

_I'm leaving now. It will take me 10 min to get to studio B. It's on the west side of the school – separate from studio A and C. I need twelve minutes. Don't ruin this, Edward._

It sounded bitchy, but I wanted him to know I meant business. If only he realized that I was lying to him – that I was buying myself all of an extra two minutes before he realized I lied to him about where the studio was, that we were headed in two completely different sides of my school.

Edward would be furious – but I just needed those extra two minutes. Those two minutes before he stormed in so that James would be put into a false sense of security and let my siblings go so that they could leave before they saw the _sangsue_ get burned – by me. I was determined to light that goddamn match.

_I'm giving you ten. Don't go in without warning us._

I walked out of my room, not daring look back at the pictures or memories that still hung in the air. The hallway, lined with pictures, seemed to taunt me as I saw my brother and sister smiling at me. I was in very few of these pictures – I hated pictures. The pictures that were there of me were of Arie and I when we were covered in paint or in Halloween costumes looking like fools. There were a few of me as a child, covered in chocolate or paint and looking guilty.

The overheated hallway led itself out to the entranceway where I was used to seeing a skew of shoes – there wasn't the normal mountain of colour, but there were a few pairs pulled out. Katie's favourite 'audition heels' and her running shoes – Katie was a runner. She once said she didn't want to get 'big' like me. Shawn had his sandals out – tiny, adorable little things. He must have been wearing his Spiderman shoes that lit up when he walked.

Would he tell James the rhyme I'd taught him on how to tie up shoes?

With a new urgency, I slammed the door behind me and walked as quickly as I could toward the school. I left my purse inside the house – nothing from it would save me from a vampire's thirst – and it was nice to walk as quickly as I could and not be distracted by a thumping in my leg. I didn't need anything else to pound against my skin considering my heart was doing a good job on it's own.

The walk to school had never felt so long. I always used to relish in the fact I lived so close to school because it let me sleep in for that extra half an hour – now, I was jealous of Arie who lived just around the corner from it. I draped my hair across my face as I passed by her house – glancing through the curtain I'd created to her bedroom. The blue blinds were pulled, meaning she was probably in there doing a little bit of partying with Asher or Jenn. I envied her.

I went around the corner, dreading hearing if someone was going to shout my name, before I picked up my speed. I didn't look up as I crossed the two final streets, I didn't look up as I entered the massive building – my feet knew where I was instinctively going. I pulled out my phone. And sent out the most important mass text I could ever put into words:

_Kibbles 'n' Bits._

I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart that I didn't want a vampire to hear, before I stepped inside of dance studio B.

The dance studio was precisely as I remembered it: white oak flooring, immaculate mirrored walls, the ballet bars – sub par compared to the studios for the better dancers – had been piled on top of their stands to take up as little room in the corner as possible, and the lights – which were usually coloured yellow yet still the brightest fluorescents – remained off.

The only thing that looked wrong about the room was the glow coming from behind the predator that was watching me. The TV behind him blared out the horror movie I knew so well and identified with earlier – in front of that television, not having noticed I'd entered, was Shawn.

Shawn was bigger than I remembered him being. He must have gone through three growth spurts in the time since I'd left – his shoes, the Spiderman ones, were not on his feet…I guess they were thrown out. He had on a bright yellow shirt and swimming trunks. His hair needed to be cut and when I let out some sort of sound – probably something close to a whimper – it made his light brown eyes turn to me and smile.

"Look, Livi, it Katie!"

"I see that," I croaked, trying not to let my fear drip into my voice. "That's '_homework's a killer_', her favourite." She had made that movie two years ago. I remembered it well as she'd blackmailed me to do the camera work for it.

"Katie hates homework now, too." Shawn nodded, as if he was telling us a trivia answer. I smiled as best I could toward him.

"That's right, she does. She also hates it when people wake her up – so I'll go do it." I turned my gaze to James, who was smirking at me proudly, before my voice lowered as menacingly as I could make it. "I'm going to go get her now."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible, Vivienne, is it Shawn?"

"It's not?" Shawn asked with a frown. "Why?"

"Katie's not here, remember?"

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously, my heart rate jumping miles per minute. "Where is she?"

"I'd say she's still in New York." James said thoughtfully. "She got another call-back, you see. It was so last minute that Sarah needed to find a babysitter, and Mrs Magnon was sadly…gone." The intonation in his voice made it clear that Mrs Magnon, our elderly neighbour, was anything but departed. I assumed it meant deceased. "So they turned to me. It was really lucky, to be honest, or else we never would have been able to get you here – isn't that right Shawnee?"

"Yeah! You said we'd play baseball!" Shawn got to his feet, I couldn't believe the little tyke was five – he was growing quickly.

"We can play whatever you want, but first I need to have a talk with your sister. Go back to watching the movie, alright?" James said. It was shocking how agreeable his tone was – then again, I'm sure being over three hundred years old would gather you a lot of little talents such as being a good actor.

"I wanna watch Dora!" my little brother pouted even better than Katie could and I was surprised to watch James toss the television remote over his shoulder so it fell beside him. Shawn let out a little gasp of glee before turning the channel to his favourite explorer. My eyes narrowed on James as he walked closer to me.

"I say that we do this the easy way, don't you?"

I should have waited for Edward. I shouldn't have acted alone. Not when it was Shawn on the line, not when Shawn wasn't in any danger at all – I easily could have gotten Edward to run and grab him before James would have had time to notice while Emmett tore him to shreds.

"Yes," I agreed lowly, watching the bright TV screen flash around my brother's silhouette. He was dancing to the backpack song.

"You don't sound angry that I tricked you. I expected that reaction."

"You'll get it when I'm not on high alert for my brother," I said with a glare. He smiled.

"Ah, there it is! How odd. You really mean it – you really don't fear me for your own reasons." His dark eyes assessed me with interest. The irises were nearly black, just a hint of ruby around the edges. Thirsty. "It's amazing through all this – you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all."

James did not look dangerous like he did in the meadow besides his dark, thirsty eyes. He was wearing clothes, familiar clothes, _Earl's clothes_, which made him look like the person crossing the street you only paid attention to when he was crossing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have existed in the world. He was a no one, an attractive no one, he had the perfect disguise.

"I suppose you're going to tell me that your boyfriend will avenge you?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. I clenched my jaw – it was time to act again. Or, perhaps, I should just try twisting my words.

"I don't think so," I answered honestly. "Something tells me he won't, at least." Because he won't have to avenge me. He'll defend me. That's different.

"And why would you think that?"

"I don't know," I bit my lip. "Since he doesn't know I'm here."

That, sadly, was not a lie either. Edward would probably be walking into studio A at any moment now, not realizing that he needed to be on the other side of the campus. What would be a five to seven minute walk for normal people will take him the thirty seconds it would take for James to snap my neck.

"It is so sad, so romantic, you trying to save him this pain. Do you think he will honour you? Don't you believe he'll avenge you?"

"I hope he'll take care of Shawn," I answered honestly. "I don't care, otherwise."

"Hmm, well, our hopes differ then. You see, this was all just a little too easy, too quick. To be honest, I'm disappointed. I expected a much greater challenge. And, after all, I only needed a little luck."

This was much more than a little bit of luck for him. He had gotten everything laid out on a silver platter – all he had to do was starve me enough before I'd come running to him.

"When Victoria couldn't get to your father, I had her find out more about you. There was no sense in running all over the planet chasing you down when I could comfortably wait for you in a place of my choosing. So after I talked to Victoria, I decided to come to Phoenix to pay your family a visit. I'd heard you say you were going home. At first, I never dreamed you meant it. But then I wondered. Humans can be very predictable; they like to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe. And wouldn't it be the perfect ploy, to go the last place you should be when you're hiding – the very place that you said you'd be?"

"You're a genius," I muttered bitterly. I had been predictable, hadn't I? I guess my plans weren't as well thought out as someone who had centuries more experience. It was both a sting to my ego and a trip down further into a helpless state.

"But of course, I wasn't sure, it was just a hunch. I usually get a feeling about the prey I'm hunting, a sixth sense, if you will. When I got to your mother's house, I watched as they received the message for the call-back. I heard her planning to ask the neighbour – so I quickly disposed of that option. As she ran around in a panic, I just so happened to have a baseball card with me and Shawn took a liking to me instantly; your mother's problems were solved. It was not hard to take your sister's phone as she ran around preparing to leave. I listened to your message when I took her phone, but of course I couldn't be sure where you'd called from. It was very useful to have your number, but you could have been in Antarctica for all I knew, and the game wouldn't work unless you were close by."

"Clever."

"Then your boyfriend got on a plane to Phoenix. Victoria was monitoring them for me, naturally; in a game with this many players I couldn't be working alone. And so they told me what I'd hoped, that you were here after all. I was prepared as I already had your brother with me and it only took two days before the game was afoot and you came crawly to me."

"I wouldn't say I crawled…"

"It was very easy, you know, not really up to my standards. So, you see, I'm hoping you're wrong about your boyfriend – Edward, isn't it?"

"Edward won't hunt you." I said confidently, it did not sound as confident as I wanted it to. Maybe it was because I was becoming less and less confident as the seconds ticked on – shouldn't he be here? Shouldn't they all be here by now?

"Would you mind, very much, if I left a token of my own for your Edward?"

He took a step back and touched a palm-sized video camera balanced carefully on top of the television set. A small red light indicated that it had been running this entire time. He adjusted it a few times, widened the frame. I stared at it darkly, it was what he wanted to film my death.

"I'm a little camera shy, sorry." I hissed through gritted teeth.

"I'm afraid you don't have any power to resist me…just like I don't think your Edward be able to resist hunting me after he watches _this_. And I wouldn't want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. You're simply a human who was unfortunately in the wrong place, at the wrong time, saying the wrong things, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add."

"You're really doing this because I was _there_? What the hell do you do with people who serve you the wrong drink at a bar – don't you think this is a little over the top?" I rambled nervously, taking a step back as he took one forward.

"You're right, of course, there is more to this than competition. And I would just like to rub it in, just a little bit. The answer was there all along, and I was so afraid Edward would see that and ruin my fun. It happened once, oh, ages ago. The one and only time my prey escaped me."

"Escaped you?" My thoughts raced together all at once – was he insinuating I could escape? Was he insinuating Shawn wouldn't have the chance to? Was he saying that he knew I was going to try, that I had backup on the way?

"You see, the vampire who was so stupidly fond of his little victim made the choice that your Edward was too weak to make. When the old one knew I was after his little friend, he stole her from the asylum where he worked – I _never _will understand the obsession some vampires seem to form with you humans, she was not so feisty as you, she was far more sweet – and as soon as he freed her he made her safe. She didn't seem to notice the pain, poor creature. She'd been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long. A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the nineteen-twenties, it was the asylum and shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she'd never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire, and there was no reason for me to touch her then." He sighed. "I destroyed the old one in vengeance."

"You mean Alice," I breathed, astonished. "You wanted to kill Alice? _You're _the one who left her alone?" I was surprised by my own insult at a time like this. To be fair, there were multiple things I wanted to punch this jerk in the face for.

"Yes, you're little friend. I _was _surprised to see her in the clearing. So I guess her coven ought to be able to derive some comfort from this whole experience. I get you, but they get her. The one victim who escaped me, quite an honour, actually. And she did smell _so _delicious. I still regret that I never got to taste. She smelled even better than you do. Sorry – I don't mean to be offensive. You have a very nice smell. Natural and spicy, somehow..."

"You don't have to do this," I couldn't help but beg. "Just let Shawn and I go. We didn't do anything to you – this isn't our rivalry or our battle. All I did was go to a baseball game for Christ's sake-"

"Baseball!" Shawn yelled, running over to me excitedly and bouncing at my feet. I could barely keep my eyes on him as I watched the predator take more stalking steps towards us. I pulled Shawn away from him quickly, but Shawn was too preoccupied. "Are we gonna play now?"

"Yes," James smiled as he quirked his head to the side, sizing the two of us up. "Yes. We will play now – don't you suppose we should get on with it, Vivienne? I can call your friends and tell them where to find you, and my little message. They wont let you go without avenging you after they see my…creativity."

"Let Shawn go!" I bellowed back to him, taking three more steps back and pushing my little brother behind me – and suddenly I knew that James would not let Shawn go at all.

Of course he wouldn't. It was why I came, wasn't it?

I was definitely sick now. He had pain in store for me, I could see it in his eyes. It wouldn't be enough for him to win, to feed and go. No, that's why he really did have Shawn with him and that's why the video camera was rolling – he wanted to make a horror movie. He wanted to outshine all the gruesome scenes we had created in our summer boredom and then, he wanted to show it to those it would hurt most. There would be no quick end like I had been counting on. My knees began to shake, and I was afraid that I was going to fall. He stepped back, and began to circle, casually, as if he were trying to get a better view of a statue in a museum. His face was still open and friendly as he decided where to start.

Then he slumped forward, into a crouch I recognized, and his pleasant smile slowly widened. It slithered into a full smile, a smile that wasn't a smile at all but a contortion of teeth, exposed and glistening. I heard Shawn let out a whimper, it seemed that no matter how much he liked his new babysitter, all prey still had a natural response to a predator. I couldn't help myself – I tried to run, shoving Shawn in front of me and screaming at him to go. I knew it would be useless but all I could dare to hope for was that James would be so preoccupied by me that Shawn could get out in public where James would be too afraid to act.

In an unnatural flash, though one I was growing accustomed to, James was in front of me with a dark smile and an arm around Shawn's middle. Somehow, in the second it had taken for me to blink he had grabbed him and was holding him under his arm like a sleeping bag. Shawn screamed and kicked, his chubby legs dancing around to dislodge himself from his captor.

"Let him go!" I screamed, taking three steps forward. He bared his teeth again.

"Is this what will make you beg for your Edward? Is this what it takes for you to finally fear me, Vivienne?" he asked tauntingly. "Then _fear me_!"

He unrolled his arm so quickly that it flicked Shawn's little body towards one of the mirrors, which smashed upon touching the heel of his shoe. Though he wasn't hurt by the impact, I saw all of the slices the glass falling on him made. It looked like he had passed out from the pain, which gave my body a moment to thank him – stay unconscious. Don't wake up for this. Don't wake up and watch me die. Maybe James would leave if he wasn't able to play with his food.

But James was not done scaring me. No, he made that clear as he took more steps towards my brother, bending over him hungrily – throwing the shards of glass away so that he would have easier access. Behind his hunched form, my little brother screamed. It was a terrifying sound that made my blood race. I did the first thing I could think of.

I bent down, my hand reaching for the only weapon I could find – the shard of glass I threw at him did hit him, it even ripped Earl's green shirt, but it was barely enough to keep his attention. It made me realize the one thing that was true about this situation. There was only one weapon that could help me right now and it was not the shard of glass in my hand.

I slipped the shard down my forearm, like all those movies where someone was trying to kill themselves. Up and down or diagonally but never left to right. I pulled the shard from my wrist to my elbow, gasping at the pain – and the attention it brought as James' eyes flickered to me hungrily.

_I _was the only weapon that would work, the only shock and awe factor. I was the shock – and if Edward ever came, he would be the awe. If Edward ever came. Maybe he hadn't planned on coming at all, maybe he'd finally realized how ridiculous I was after I had crossed this line to lie to him after he'd been protecting me the entire time…

My chest started to burn as he lurked toward me – almost as if he knew that he was walking into a distraction, but he couldn't stop himself. I tried to ignore the hammering of my heart against my ribs, which felt like they were crashing into each other. But before I could watch myself die in whichever way was fastest I heard the most terrifying, heavenly sound ears could hear.

My Edward had come.

It was almost too quickly for my eyes to register what was happening in front of me. Edward, flanked by his family, was surging toward James with a speed and finality that meant they did not have the patience to torture him like he had me. My chest, starting to collapse on itself, tried to floor me and stop me from watching the execution in front of me – but I was not done.

I turned my head to the corner and with the last strength I had, while my body began to scream in agony I crawled toward my brother. He was screaming and crying, something that my ears were beginning to block out as my lungs screamed just as viciously for air. While I crawled toward him, feeling my skin ripple against the glass that split it, I saw Alice come close to him and say something to Carlisle – my hearing was barely working.

I crawled to my brother, trying to calm him down but finding my body too weak to reach out to hold him and my lungs too empty to speak to him. He was crying and Alice was placing her hand over his forehead and whispering to him. I wanted to cry – he was so scared.

I tried to scream when I felt someone pull me away from my brother, but I was quieted when I realized whose arms I was enveloped in. He said something to me, something right into my ear that didn't make sense to me – I couldn't tell what he had said.

"Oh, Vivienne," his angelic voice rang. "Vivienne, where is your puffer?"

That time it made more sense, I think it was in French. I looked around, trying to find it as if it would glow for me, but I could not see it. I tossed my head side to side, my eyes filling with the realization that it was not here.

"Shh, it's okay. Calm, Vivienne. You need to stay calm. Carlisle!" Edward screamed out, clutching me closer to him. Water filled my eyes and I tried to blink it away as my chest began to spasm, my body was quickly starting to give out on me – I had been without air for too long.

I looked over my shoulder, watching as Carlisle checked over my little brother and spoke to Alice in tones I could not hear. I blinked again, looking up above me and seeing Edward looking blurred but somehow completely broken. I closed my eyes to clear my vision again, I wanted to see him. I wanted to see him before I wouldn't have the chance to.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I realized that they did not want to open again. My body angrily began to convulse against me – it was furious with my lungs, but I couldn't stop myself. And I couldn't open my eyes.

"Vivienne, please!" Edward let out a strangled sob as he plead. "Vivienne, listen to me, please, please, Vivienne, please – open your eyes, Vivienne!"

I tried opening my eyes, he would never understand how badly I wanted to see him. I wanted to tell him to watch the tape, tell him to listen to what I said about watching over Shawn and Katie, tell him that I wanted him to make sure Shawn was okay and tell me that he was – I wanted to plead with him not to let me go.

"Carlisle!" the angel called in agony. "Vivienne, Liv, no, oh please, no, no! She's suffocating!"

I heard the words 'hurry' and 'resuscitation', but they barely made sense to me.

"Hold your breath, Alice, it will help." Another, older voice encouraged. Alice? I wanted to ask. I wanted to apologize for making this plan with her and making her go against her brother only to lie to her about the plan itself. I hadn't meant this to happen.

"She needs CPR, Edward, she's dying!" Alice's voice yelled. I felt her cool hands touch my face like she had touched Shawn's.

"There are too many cuts on her face, I can't-"

He was cut off with my head lolling from his shoulder, I could barely hear him now even if he did speak. My chest was finally starting to stop heaving, I was almost glad for it just to end.

I heard a howl, a painful howl, before someone started the heaving again. It was a different heaving in my chest, one that made my chest ache and crack in ways that felt wrong. It burned and ached, something cold scraped against my lips – I felt like whatever was happening was attempting to make my chest explode.

It hurt. Whatever was happening, I wanted it to stop. I just wanted to say let me stop breathing, I'd always heard that drowning was painless – why should suffocating be any different? I wanted painless. I wanted it to stop, please just let it be painless.

I felt something dig in my leg, something that unmistakably felt like a needle. It took me a moment of panic before I let out a scream – a needle was in my leg. There was a _needle in my leg_! I hated needles, I wanted it out – get it out, get it out, get it out!

"Vivienne! She's back!"

I gasped at the voice, against all the pain radiating through my body. "Shawn!" I tossed my head around, how had my eyes been watering last they were open and why were they now so dry? "Edward?"

"Yes, I'm here." he whispered, holding me closer to him. I recognized the cool embrace.

"It hurts," I whimpered. "Where's Shawn?"

My breathing started picking up again, he let me go so that I could try looking up at him. He was blurry, but I could see him now.

"Vivienne, you need to breathe. Deep breaths: in, out, in, out…come on, Vivienne; in, out-"

"Where's Shawn?" I asked more loudly. Edward's eyes seemed to flicker away from me for a moment before coming to rest on me again.

"Breathe first. Come on, match my breathing. In, out, in-"

It was not an easy process. Breathing in and out was difficult when your lungs felt like they were seizing and your heart was pounding a rhythm that was tripling your oxygen intake. I watched Edward, ignoring the flickering that I could now see over his face – there was a fire in the building. They were burning James' body.

Good.

My breathing, through strained, began to even as Edward touched my face and whispered more encouraging things. The metronome effect only scared me more and it was easier to pretend that everything was okay when he was talking to me about how he would take me home so I could be with Mr Burford Bearkins and he would take me to the meadow so we could be in the sunlight again.

When my breathing calmed thanks to surges of epinephrine and waves of Edward's voice, he coaxed me to stay laying down. "You have broken ribs, I broke your ribs – Liv, I'm sorry-"

"Don't," I choked, sounding as assuring as I could. "Even humans break ribs during CPR."

"I'm sorry," he whispered again, bringing his lips down to my temple.

"Where's Shawn?" I asked, turning my head left and right, only to have Edward hold my face between his hands. He looked at me levelly, emotionlessly, searching my eyes for something I couldn't see. It made me nervous. "Edward…where's my brother?"

"Vivienne, he's been hurt-"

"_Where's my brother_?"

"He's in a lot of pain, Vivienne. You need to-_no,_ stay down." Edward had pushed my shoulder back down while I struggled to sit up, but he had been too late. My head, though pounding, had cleared enough for me to remember where I had seen Alice comforting my brother and I had gotten a quick glance to that corner.

Shawn was laying, squirming, on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Jasper, eyes closed in determination, was touching him to try and calm him and Alice was looking over him worriedly. I turned my eyes to Edward.

"What's wrong with him?"

Edward turned his own gaze quickly to my brother, before looking at me carefully. "Vivienne, James bit Shawn."

"He what?" I asked, my eyes widening as my memory tried replaying everything that Alice had told me. The pain, the long transition into a vampire – _one bite._

"Shawn's been bitten…he'll die."

"No." I said quickly. "No." I said again. "He's young, he'll live! Alice told me that only young, strong people live. He's healthy, he's strong – the venom can make it to his heart and-"

"Vivienne, he _can't _live." Edward whispered. "Even if he could survive the blood loss, there are rules…he can't live. He'd be an immortal child; they're uncontrollable. They never grow, they never wizen, they kill. All they can do is kill…"

Edward's gaze looked back over toward my brother and he did not hold me back as I moved to sit up again. It burned my entire midsection, it hurt me to sit but I couldn't stop myself the need to go see my brother.

"I can't move," I whispered. "Take me to him."

"You've lost so much blood, Liv," Alice called from across the room. "You shouldn't see this."

"Take me to him." I ordered, looking at Edward with all the strength I could muster. He nodded, looking much more defeated than I must have, as he carried me – painfully – toward the bloodied corner.

"Shawn," I whispered when I was set down. I leaned against the broken glass, trying to ignore the awkward digging into my back as I looked down on my little brother. He was so small, even as he writhed he looked too young.

The venom was hurting him and paling him quickly. Maybe it was that he was losing blood. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to know the answer. I looked to Jasper, who nodded to me stiffly before concentrating on something that made Shawn's eyes open.

"Shawn," I said again. "Can you hear me?"

"Livi…Livi, help…" his voice was hoarse and smaller than he was. "It hurts."

"I know sweetie," I let out a sob. "I know. It won't hurt much more…it's going to be okay."

"I wanna go home!"

"I know, I know – we can go home soon. We'll play baseball and xbox and go to the movies-"

"Livi, it hurts!" he cried out, thrashing away from Jasper's hands for the quickest moment. Help; I promise I will run faster 'n' won't watch Dora and I won' eat choc'ate anymore - I'm sorry!"

"It's not your fault, Shawnee." I cried, biting back tears that were far too stubborn. I crawled a little bit towards him – Alice and Jasper slowly moved to give us space. "This isn't your fault."

I caught eyes with Edward, who looked at me with a haunted, guilty gaze.

I heard Shawn's breath hitch just as Edward's eyes closed as if he were fighting tears himself. Turning around to my little brother I saw that he was back to writhing, but when I looked to Jasper and Alice I saw Alice slowly shake her head.

I knew what she was telling me, but I couldn't accept it. Shawn was too young to die. Shawn was too young to have been killed in the crossfire of a battle that didn't involve him. This was all my fault, everything here was all my fault.

"Shawn," I said quietly, trying to keep my voice strong as he let out another whimper. I dragged myself closer to him, ignoring the sting that flowed through my nerve endings. Going toward him I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to me, his back to my chest as I cradled him close to me.

I wish I would have had the strength to face him, to let him see my face and to be calm enough to pretend that everything really _would _be okay – but I couldn't face him. I couldn't face my tiny, terrified brother who was about to die in my arms. How could I? How could I let him look in to my eyes and have the last thing he would ever see be fear?

I heard him crying, his body shaking in my arms – I hushed him. I tried to comfort him and hum, though it was broken from my own crying. His heart was racing under my grip and I tried to calm it as I calmed him, but it just seemed to make it worse.

Then, slowly, his heart rate began to stutter. Not stop, but stutter. His whimpering started to slow. I hushed him again, kissing the top of his mop head.

"It's okay, Shawn. I'm here. I'm here."

And then it happened.

Well, maybe it should be considered a bunch of things that happened all at once.

There was a sharp pain that burned through my arm at the same time that I felt Shawn's heart hiccup one last time. I heard a gasp and a bellow from Alice and Edward at the same time that I felt Shawn's body droop in my arms. It took me a moment, two moments, three moments of shock and despair before the pain set in.

It was a burning that coursed from my arm and made my skin crawl. My body screamed at me to writhe, but I fought against it so I could keep my baby brother against me.

"Vivienne!"

"He bit her!" Edward growled, coming in front of me and taking my arms in his hands. They were cool against my skin and helped with the burn, but did not stop the pain.

"Edward, it hurts!" Alice ducked in front of me, her eyes filled with horror.

"Let him go, Liv. He's gone."

"No, Alice-"

"Liv," her hands wrapped around my wrists. "He's gone."

Her hands gently pulled my arms from around my brother, I looked down to him as he fell into Alice's arms but was distracted by another wave of pain through my arm. My eyes flickered down to the small crescent on my forearm. When I went to look at Shawn again, he and Alice were gone.

"Edward-"

"I know, Vivienne. I know." he looked around nervously. "Does it hurt?"

"It burns," I whispered. "It burns so badly…Edward, why does it burn?"

"Venom," Edward whispered. "He's small, it must have spread through him quickly – I can barely smell it but…"

"Edward," my eyes watered. "I'm sorry, I-"

"This is all my fault. Oh Vivienne, I'm so sorry. I should never have left you."

"No," I cried. It was embarrassing, gritting this through my teeth. "No, not _that. _Edward, I don't…I don't want to be a vampire. I-I want babies and a family…please, get it out." I couldn't live an eternity knowing I had gotten Shawn, my baby brother, killed. Gotten him turned into something that couldn't live a life of a child, that would never have gotten the chance. A terrible wave of fire burnt through my veins. "Get it out!"

"I can't…" he whispered, looking torn. His eyes, black as onyx, gleamed sorrowfully.

"Edward, please-" I let out a loud gasp as I felt it begin to crawl farther up my leg, burning hot as blue flame.

"Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late." Carlisle's voice encouraged.

Edward's face was drawn. I watched his eyes as the doubt was suddenly replaced with a blazing determination. His jaw tightened. I felt his cool, strong fingers take hold of my wrist, far enough away that it cooled the burning that was beginning to spread through my veins.

"Edward, please!" I whimpered again.

His eyes, darker than midnight and more intense than I had ever seen them held my gaze. He was trying to tell me he could do this, he was trying to tell me he would give me what I wanted – a future that didn't stop. A future that involved life. He bent his head over my arm, his eyes holding mine with more confidence than he must have felt before his cool lips pressed against my skin.

The burn spiked for the seven seconds it took before he began to drink from what little blood I had left. The pain left me screaming and my head throbbing against the stolen life. I felt my head swim at the intrusion in my blood and I sagged against his shoulder, breaking eye contact. I could no longer see the angel who was trying to save me, but I could feel his struggling.

"Edward," I whispered, feeling my eyes grow heavy.

He kept pulling at my arm for another long moment, I would never be able to measure how long each moment really lasted that night, but by the time I finally saw him blur before my eyes again, I was close to falling asleep.

"Edw'r'…" I wouldn't have blamed him if he didn't understand me, I barely did.

"He's right here, Liv."

"Stay, Edward, stay wi' me..." I whispered, trying to grip my hand. He seemed to feel the slight pulse at the tips of my fingertips and gripped them back.

"I will." His voice was strained, but somehow triumphant.

"I'm s'rry I can't be like you…" I whispered, my eyes drooping. "I'm s'rry."

"Never be sorry for that, Vivienne. Never be sorry for anything. I love you." His voice, soft like honey, was fading into the background of my thoughts as if he were walking away. My heart skipped a beat, even as my eyes slipped closed.

"Edw'rd don't leave me."

"Never." He whispered, kissing the top of my head. Pushing his hand on my forehead to soothe the fever that had built over my skin. I felt some tears escape me as I realized Alice had not returned, she had not returned from taking my brother from me.

"Even when I sleep?" Even when I make it all go away? Because it was all I could think of wanting.

"Even then. Sleep now, Vivienne. It's over," were the last words I heard.

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**Well, I don't know about you, but I cried. I told you I would shake things up, but to be honest I didn't know how intense it would be until it was already flowing from my fingers. Whew. Well, hopefully you don't all hate me for that new twist. To my fantastic reviewers:**

_BrokenYetDreaming_**: Welcome back! I'm glad that you like Liv, I was trying to make her different. Vivienne's mother just happens to be named Sarah, though I think I said at one point that she and Jacob's mother were very close. They are not the same person, though. As for if she turns into a werewolf - you'll have to wait to see if I do a sequel for that answer! Thanks for reviewing :D**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: I appreciate your husband just because he made fun of Bella. And I think most guys would go for the wolfpack, just because they tend to be more masculine. I think they feel more justified in spending so much time on it so long as it doesn't make them seem girly. And oh my goodness - I have been a comic book geek since far before any of the marvel (or DC, though I am a bigger fan of marvel) came out. The Avengers was AMAZING. It beat out all of my favourite movies and I'm slightly ashamed to say how many times I saw it in theatres. I love that you said it was my kind of humour, I tend to agree. My boyfriend, who is not a TV or movie watcher, was completely confused by my obsession with it. He now worries he has to grab my attention between Harry Potter, Twilight, Vampire Diaries **_**and **_**the Avengers as well. Poor guy :P**

_Feenrai_**: First, let me start by saying this review (in fact, every review you left) literally lit up my days. These reviews are the best I've ever received and I'm touched by all the thought you put into them. Now, to respond to them…give me a moment to breathe before I dive in.**

**I'm glad you like Liv's personality in contrast to Bella's, it was hard deciding what kind of character I wanted to put into this story so hearing that the contrast works is flattering. **

**Yes, if I continue this (which I really hope I can do if there is enough interest), Rosalie and Liv will become closer than Rose and Bella did, but that is a bit more obvious after this chapter. Rosalie doesn't have to be upset with her for the sacrifices now. I'm glad that you like the little things like the arts background and the asthma - I like making my characters believable and it never made sense to me that Bella comes to town and is a social sensation but she had no one she cares about back where she grew up away from Charlie. I do not have asthma anymore, I did as a child (though I can't quite remember them) but I've always had violent panic attacks - which I've been told can feel similar, so I just threw in what knowledge I thought I'd had. I often have a lung closing sensation, only it's panic based, but sometimes I can use a steroid puffer to open the lungs up so I have no extra reason to panic. Charlie taking off the cables was in the books, but I do like to highlight him a bit more. I agree, Edward technically would be more perfect for me - but I often forget how much I like Edward thanks to the movies (especially because I hold spiteful after he leaves in the next book) whereas I always remember how much I loved Jacob. **

**Vivienne is pronounced the same was as Vivian or Viviane in North American culture, but I come from a French background and can appreciate it when someone puts French accents into a French-spelt name such as her spelling Vivienne. It'd sound less like Viv-ee-anne and closer to Viv-yenne. There would not be a hard 'e' after the second V and it'd be lighter on the 'n's. There's some interesting French culture for you ;)**

**Alice is in one of my favourite characters from this book. I find I really like Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Embry, Quil and Leah best, besides the heartthrobs, of course. I just find they're the most realistic. **

**I am glad that you find Liv so relatable and that her story is emotional for you. It's nice to know she seems genuine. Also, I thought it would be more genuine if she asked pretty much all-powerful vampires for help. I mean, a mortal vs. a vampire? It doesn't even matter what universe you're in, that just spells BAD.**

**And I didn't WANT to kill off such an innocent person as I did, I really didn't plan it. To be honest, there was a part of me that planned to make Katie into a vampire - she's right at Jane's age so I figured she wouldn't be an immortal child but rather a young vampire…but the story played out a little bit differently than I would have initially thought. I'm very sad over it.**

**Anyway, thank you so, so, SO much for your fantastic reviews. Honestly, it melted my heart! I hope you like this chapter, especially as I dedicated it to you!**

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**Only a few chapters left, so please **_**REVIEW**_**!**

**-Egypt**


	25. An Impasse

**Wow, I know I left the last chapter on a very depressing note - I tried to update sooner but some difficulties arose and I apologize, but look at the bottom of the chapter for how I'm making it up to you all! Anyway, because of difficulties this chapter has not been edited by anyone other than myself and I will admit my eyes may miss something - so I'm sorry for any errors you may see. On with the last full chapter!**

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Chapter 24 - An Impasse

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The sunshine had never felt more inappropriate. The rain should have been weeping over the doll-sized casket in front of me, it should have been pouring with a sense of sorrow that made it seem like there would be no more sunny days; instead the skies were clear with a crisp warmth that made the black dress I wore sticky. It was a bitter irony - the first beautiful day I was out in for months and it was to be in the most ugly setting.

It had been easy for Carlisle to convince my mother that he, Edward, and Alice did not want to interrupt a family funeral so that they could stay out of the sun. Between he and my mother they had agreed that this should only be a family affair since we had lost someone so young and so close.

To convince Arie of that was impossible. Not that she wasn't like a sister to Shawn as well, but even if he had been an estranged great uncle John, Arie would have refused to leave me alone at a time like this. Edward had been pleased when he'd heard, but I had been terrified. I knew that I would have to give answers I didn't have.

I threw a baseball card onto his casket instead of a flower. Ma mere had not been pleased when I had demanded I do it, but the yellow roses mom and the others threw on his casket just didn't look as in place as the little paper card did. I hadn't been able to handle losing all of them to the ground, but his most important one would always be with him now instead of put up in a box I would probably never be able to open.

Everyone stood silent for a long moment after they lowered the casket. No one seemed to want to be the first one to move. My mother was inconsolable on the opposite side of the grave, Katie wrapped protectively under her arm and Earl trying to hold them both upright. It was strange to look at my family across the grave from me - it was a disassociation that was obvious to everyone, but I couldn't tell if it was because of the everlasting gap between my mother and I or if it was because I was now a completely different person.

To be fair, I've always been a completely different person than the others in this family. It had always been a setting that I just hadn't fit into - Earl and Sarah had their children and the four of them were a family. It was just a fact. But I had always seemed like this strange thorn which had been lodged into my mother's side long ago, one that just kind of came with the package, though she was made of a different pattern than I was. I had always resented her for it - for the separation between me and my own family - but now I understood that it may not have been something she could have helped. Maybe I really _was _just that displaced.

One of my uncles broke the stillness in the cemetery, going up to Earl and making sure that he and ma mere were alright. Katie looked across the deep hole in the ground to lock eyes with me, watching me with a blank gaze - poor Katie. I had learned what loss was younger than her; losing dad to the divorce, losing my pet, then finally losing Grand'Mere - but I had hoped Katie would be older before she were ever to have been subjected to death. It meant it as time for her to grow up, to learn how cruel the real world was, that real stories didn't get happy endings.

I turned my eyes away from her, finally able to move thanks to my uncle breaking the quiet. I turned to Arie - who determinedly tried to hide her wince at my appearance - before I started walking away. My family knew I would meet them at home and my mother had already said I didn't need to stay for the reception after the funeral - it was the only benefit of having been there when my brother was killed: everyone watched me, so no one wanted me to be there to draw attention and unnecessary questions.

"You okay to walk?" Arie asked, looking at me closely. "Or are you still dizzy?"

I had a major concussion that prevented all safe movement or good nights of sleep. Luckily I told my mother that I set a nightly alarm and she believed me after the third night of her being too grief-stricken and exhausted to be able to check up on me so often. Instead, Edward had been keeping firm timing on an hourly wake up call to ensure that I would wake up and not have any lasting brain damage.

"I'll be fine," I lied. I just didn't want her to have to look at me anymore. Being all bruised, bandaged, and having my pupils dilated to two different sizes upset her. She had said it once and Edward had explained it to me multiple times after he had been upstairs while she was checking on me twice a day. She nodded and fell in step with me, her hands stayed in an awkward position as if to catch me if I got lightheaded and fell. We walked in silence to Jenn's car - none of my other friends had been invited, but they were more than happy to fork over their resources. She helped me get into the passenger's seat - I tried desperately not to show her how bad of a head rush it gave me - before she climbed into the driver's seat and buckled herself up.

"Well," she said quietly. "A serial killer in Phoenix...not a first."

"Not a first," I agreed with a nod, turning to look out the window so that I wouldn't have to catch her eye for her inevitable interrogation.

"How did you know?" Arie asked, looking at me from the corner of her eye as we turned out from the cemetery. "You told me to stay away from downtown, you knew."

"I didn't know Shawn was going to die."

"But you knew the killer had him?" Her voice was hard, she was accusing me. Arie had never accused me of anything in my entire life, she was the woman who did what I asked without question and defended me before she even knew I was innocent. Now she was accusing me over a hunch...a hunch that was correct, but a hunch nonetheless. Arie sighed, her voice softening when I didn't answer her. "Liv, you're my best friend in the entire world. Kibbles 'n' bits, remember? I'm not going to sell you out to the cops or anything - I just need to know. You warned me not to go downtown, you told me you had done something stupid, you left Forks telling your dad you 'needed to help her' and then Shawn..."

"Died." I finished for her. "Shawn died."

"Exactly," her hands tightened against the steering wheel. "Your mom told me that he was unresponsive in the ambulance and you'd lost so much blood you should have been too...and then the school burnt down after you told me to stay away from downtown with the serial killer in it? I know it had to be you, but I also know you couldn't start a fire by yourself if you had a match and a gallon of gasoline - Liv, what happened?"

What should I tell her? What did I have the strength to tell her? Not much. Particularly because in the end, this was not only my secret to keep. The world of vampires and magic and red-eyed monsters _definitely _wasn't my secret to tell her and without that the rest of the story it all sounded just as farfetched. But this was Arie. My best friend. My confidant - surely I couldn't just leave her clueless. She needed answers just like I would, she was probably going out of her mind with worry...little did she know how worried she'd ought to be.

"I told the police that when I had gotten home I saw that the place was ransacked. I said that I called Katie's cell phone and he had answered with a ransom demand. So I rushed there to request a trade instead - Shawn got caught in the crossfire."

"Yeah, that's what you told the police," she agreed, waiting until she turned onto the main street near my house before throwing a firm glance toward me out of the corner of her eye. I knew what the look meant, she was asking me what really happened. But how could I tell her that an insane vampire had blackmailed me after my boyfriend -_ also a vampire _- had defended me during a vampire game of baseball I had been a part of?

She wouldn't even believe the _baseball _part.

"The killer, his name was James. And James had put a target on me when we were in Forks." I whispered. "It's why I left - I didn't want him to be around the people there and Mom, Earl, Shawn and Katie were all in New York..." I breathed a shuttering breath, my conscience was making my throat constrict against giving away Edward's secret. "But he came here anyway and Katie had gotten that audition, so they'd rushed out and gotten Shawn a babysitter-"

"Oh my God," Arie put one hand over her mouth. "Is that how Mrs. Magnon died?"

"He wanted leverage," I whispered in affirmation. "Besides that little prequel, the rest of the story was true. I came home, called Katie's cell, he picked up and I rushed to the school. I tried to get Shawn out, but...well, it didn't work."

"And the killer just _happened_ to die in the accidental fire?" Arie was too smart for her own good. She was rubbing the tears out of her eyes because they were interfering with her driving, but she knew the truth. Were she not driving and crying she would have been glaring holes through my eyes and out the back of my scull.

"You think I could intentionally kill somebody?" I barked out a laugh. "I wanted to. When I watched Shawn die, I _wanted_ to kill him - but I couldn't. Not wouldn't, I _couldn't_. I would have found the hate to do it - but I just couldn't have been able to overpower him."

"Livi," she frowned. "You're still not telling me something."

"I got Shawn killed, Arielle." I hissed harshly. She grimaced. "There's really nothing else to tell."

"Oh?" She spat out sarcastically. "Then how'd your boyfriend and his family get here? How did they find you at the hospital? How did they-"

"Carlisle's a doctor," I reasoned, purposely avoiding the actual question. "He probably got a page from a friend of his. And Edward came with his family when he heard that I had made it to Phoenix. He wanted to make sure I was okay."

"Vivienne," Arie breathed. "What happened to you?"

"What?"

"What _happened _to you?" She frowned. "You were always that tough girl that always stuck on her own and lived for herself. Now you're defending this guy, Edwin-"

"_Edward_," I corrected with gritted teeth.

"Because you _love _him-"

"I don't believe in love."

"Bullshit!" She screeched, pulling over to the side of the road so violently that my head hit the seat and made me wheeze. I noticed that we were just houses away from my own driveway, apparently she was not in the mood to let her lecture wait. "Look at yourself! You're mutilated, your brother just died, you just lied to police - and since when the hell did you learn to lie in the first place? - and you lied to your family. You are a _completely _different person. The Liv I loved would never have been so stupid! The Liv I loved I could and would have trusted, and lied for, and fought beside for anything without question. So where the hell has my best friend gone?"

I turned to her with just as furious an expression. She winced just seeing my face, my unlevel gaze that was caused by my concussion. I'm sure to her I _did _look mutilated, but the little flicker of weakness in her face drove me to let out the anger that I had been feeling. The pain, the turmoil, the feeling of being lost. She could go back home and live her life just like she always had - but I was going back to a broken home. She was a friend, not a sister. Not someone who I had lost. And not someone who had been there when it happened. If she thinks that a few years of friendships entitles her to blaming _me _for all of this as I'll be blaming myself for the rest of my years of _life_, then she was dead wrong.

"Your best friend has been through hell and back and held her little brother while he was dying," I argued with a sneer that seemed to terrify her. "Don't try to understand what the hell happened, and don't you dare pretend like you already do. You will _never _understand what I've been through. You will _never _understand what this is like, so don't go playing the martyr."

I got out of the car, swaying in place and clinging to the door to keep my balance so that I wouldn't look like the weak one here. She needed to break first - she needed to give up and realize that she could not go around accusing me of killing my brother when she hadn't been there. She couldn't accuse Edward of anything when she was just a witness to the aftershocks. The aftershocks were not the fatal blow.

"Vivienne," she started to argue as I bent down from outside the car, keeping tight grip on the door so that I wouldn't fall.

"No, Arie. You're right. I'm _not _the Liv you knew - but you aren't the Arie I knew either. You're not only _blaming _me for this, you're not only doing the opposite of _everything _you just preached, but you have no freaking respect. No respect for the pain that my family is going through - don't you get that it's the reason I'm keeping all of this quiet? And the minute I trust you with it, you decide that I'm not _good enough_ compared to the Vivienne you knew? I'm not the one who went to parties and danced with boys and tripped only to laugh and flip off the camera anymore? Well then yes. You're right. I'm not that girl. I will _never _be that girl again. And if you don't understand why I'm not, then what the hell are you still doing here?"

I slammed the car door in her face, though she could have spoken to me easily through her unrolled window. Luckily, she didn't say anything but stayed parked there until I got to my driveway - she sped away the moment I had made it to the first step of the porch and by the time I was on the last step, I was engulfed in Edward's arms.

"You're here," I gasped, clinging onto him tightly and trying to fight back the pain that radiated through me from fighting with my best friend.

"Of course I am."

"You heard," I stated knowingly. He nodded against the embrace, not loosening his hold on me.

"Of course I did."

"Was I too hard on her?"

"She's already forgiving you," He told me quietly as he rocked me back and forth in his arms. "She's just embarrassed. She wants to give you time to cool off before she apologizes."

"Did you read her mind?"

"Yes, though I didn't have to. She is a good friend."

It was amazing how quickly just a few of Edward's words could comfort me. He must have sensed how upset I was over arguing with Arie and how exhausted I felt after attending the funeral, because he quickly ushered me into the house and picked me up to rush me to my bedroom. I didn't even have the oomph in me to complain.

I flopped on my bed when we had made it there, closing my eyes to ward off the nausea caused from the room spinning around me. When I felt like I had stopped turning, I looked up to my ceiling at the stick-on stars that I had put up with Katie and Shawn two years before - they looked so childish now and yet I felt like they were the only thing in the room that fit the new me. The stars - which I had put into correct astronomical patterns to form my favourite constellations and taught my siblings the history of - were so far away from me and something I would never actually get to see. It was like a metaphor for freaking my life. Shawn had loved these stars.

Edward moved toward my feet and slid me out of the ballet flats I'd donned for the funeral, he also took the time to take my hair out of its French braid so that he could check the goose egg on my head that I'd gotten.

"The lump on your head is detracting," he told me with an enthusiasm that could not mask the tragic tone everyone's voices had taken on since James' end move. "Carlisle's hopeful that your concussion will be more manageable by the end of the week. How is your arm doing?"

"Great, I really enjoy looking like a suicide risk." I mumbled sarcastically while turning my head to look at him. He was looking at me, as he usually was: filled with so much emotion that I was left breathless. My bed had always seemed so small, but now that I was sharing it with him, it didn't seem small enough. It was as if anytime there was space between us, I feared that it would stay there. That I would never be able to be close to him again. I couldn't imagine losing him after what I had just lost.

"I'm so sorry, Vivienne," he whispered to me, taking my arm from around my middle lifting the long sleeve to examine the crisp white bandages that travelled from my wrist to my elbow. I really did look like a suicide gone wrong - the injuries spoke louder than my story did because I'd had to go through quite a few psych evals. The look on his face when he looked at the bandages was almost as painful as the wound itself had been, and I waited to kiss the pain out of his eyes as he dragged his finger across where Shawn had bitten me...it was cold even through the dressings. "This is my fault."

"It's not," I sighed, turning to look up at the stars above my head again. "And if you don't stop saying it, I'm going to punch you."

"That would only harm you more," I think he was trying to sound like he was joking, but the wince that I could see out of my peripheral gave away his worry.

"If that concerns you then maybe you should shut up," I offered. "I know I tell you that it isn't your fault - which it's _not _- and I know that you tell me it's not mine -though it _is _- but clearly we will never agree so let's just let it go. I don't want to spend my time with you worrying about you self-sabotaging yourself."

"Though you know I am," he almost smiled.

"Of course, but it's nice to pretend that you aren't. It's nice to pretend that I don't have to be the strong one - not that I'm saying you aren't," I said quickly, beginning my stereotypical rant. "You're super strong in pretty much every way, it's just that...well...you heard what Arie said! I'm the tough one and it's, well-"

"It's nice to not have to be," he smiled. "I understand. And I will be the strong one for this. You don't need to be the strong one for something of this nature...you should never have to _experience _something of this nature. You don't always have to be strong, Vivienne."

"Yes, I do." I whispered. "You said so yourself - you might not always be here."

I turned away from him at that, even when I heard him sigh heavily from beside me. He had had the conversation with me numerous times; the one where he explained to me the benefits of moving back to Phoenix with my family so that I could grieve and get away from all the troubles that came with having a boyfriend as a vampire. He had brought it up time and time again until it had made me so angry I had wrapped my arms around him and told him that if he had to leave, he had to leave then and never come back. While he was in my arms, so that he would understand that he was breaking away from me for his own benefit, and no other reason.

I'd stayed in his arms until I woke up the next morning.

"I love you, you know."

"I hope so," I sighed, trying to keep the low tones that had appeared after all my crying out of my voice. My voice was like perma-low now, instead of the little bit of bounciness it once had, or that's how Arie had put it. "Because I think you owe me a lifetime's supply of ice cream and cuddling on command."

"Then shackle me," he smiled, pulling me toward him. "I'm a slave meant to dote on you."

"Watch it," I smiled tauntingly. "I did not order cuddle time for now. Do not take advantage of your punishment. It's a _punishment_. You're supposed to hate it."

"But how could I?" he asked, burying his face into my hair. I relented into the feel of it, it was comfortable and the coolness radiating off of him kept me awake against the exhaustion that always threatened to take over when he was not around. He had warned me that I should be sleeping more and that if his temperature was a problem I should let him know, but he also explained that most people go into bought after bought of depression where they just need to sleep and recover their mental processes - I didn't want to spend my time sleeping. Sleep brought nightmares.

"When I die, I don't want red roses." I said suddenly. I felt him stiffen beside me. "I want blue roses. Or maybe those daylilies that look like they're on fire. And I want to be cremated and have my ashes spread - I don't like the idea of staying in one place for all eternity. It's scary enough thinking I may never get to go to Paris like I'd always planned."

Arie had told me she would cancel her summer trip to France when the news had reached her about Shawn, but I had refused to let her. I had ordered her to go and live it for me - it had always been something that I had dreamed to do, but I knew I would never get the chance. I had convinced her with a genuine laugh telling her it may finally help her with the French that she was so hopeless with.

"You want to go to Paris? I'll take you, right now. If that's what will make you happy, we should leave." Edward said quickly, sitting up on the bed to look down at me. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, looking between each eye suspiciously as if one of them would show me that he was lying.

"Edward, as...as _amazing _as that sounds, I can't just _leave._" I frowned. "I want to, but I can't leave Katie - not when she's like this. And I can't leave Arie after we fought like that...no, I need to stay here. Just for a bit longer. Just until Katie is okay."

Edward almost seemed to deflate before nodding. "Of course, I'm sorry for giving such a temptation. You _are _strong."

"Not too strong," I sighed, thinking about how badly I would want to just throw things aside and get out of here. Even if we just went to Utah, or Nebraska, or Florida, I just wanted to leave. I just wanted to go somewhere that didn't haunt me with memories like each step of this house did. "I can't wait to go back to Forks."

"Are you sure you want to go?" Edward asked me for the millionth time. "I'll understand, Vivienne, I really will."

"Edward," I sat up on my elbows to make my point. "I told you: kibbles - and - bits. You're not getting rid of me unless _you _want to get rid of me; because there's no way in hell I'm ever going to want to get rid of you."

"Not even as you grow old and I remain a seventeen year old?"

I smiled. "I'm alright being a cougar."

"And when I can't give you children?" He frowned. I tried not to let the jabs he continually made get to me.

"I can have artificial insemination. Pick someone's sperm that isn't filled with magnetic energy for trouble. Don't look at me like that, I totally could. It's a growing industry, Edward - it's almost guaranteed, nowadays." I argued a little bit more firmly.

"And when you have the children and they grow the same age as I?"

"Then I guess I'll be a MILF," I rolled my eyes. "Listen, I'm pretty much in like with you so if you don't want me that's your own problem but you need to get it into your pretty little head that I like you. Just give it up. When I don't want you around because you're too beautiful-" I snorted derisively. "I'll be sure to let you know."

He laughed, finally, breaking through the tension that always mounted when this conversation took place. I couldn't help but feel proud of myself - I may not be a good liar, but I had become a good deflector in all my time with him. It was nice to use my new talents on a master and come out on top.

"'In _like _with me'," he repeated with a laugh. "I will love you for all my days," he smiled, kissing my forehead. "All of them."

"Start counting them for me, won't you?" I smiled up at him. "I expect a present every year and every thousand days."

"Ice cream, roses, and a pajama movie night again?" He asked tauntingly. I frowned at him mockingly, hitting him lightly on the arm for emphasis.

"Don't say it so negatively! It makes me happy, so bite me." I realized the joke as I said it and stopped for a moment, worried that he would revert into sad-Edward again. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when he laughed loudly.

"I only take orders for cuddling, Vivienne." He corrected me. "Not biting."

"It's okay," I smiled, pulling him down until he was holding me as close as we could manage. "I don't think I'm really into that kind of kinky stuff anyway."

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**Alright, I tried to pick it up a little bit at the end, but I promise that the epilogue won't have such a sorrowful feel all around. The way I'm apologizing for the wait is that I will be releasing a chapter every day for a week (maybe even more) for one of my stories! So today was **_Nightfall_**, tomorrow I am going to update a different story and so on and so forth. I have two chapters for each story written and I decided that I was going to release them now. So you will be getting the conclusion of **_Nightfall_ **within the week. That is a PROMISE. If not, I will buy you all candy - with money I don't have, so clearly I'm keeping this promise.**

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**To my fantastic reviewers:**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: That is very depressing, I'm sorry that I happened to name him Shawn. It was a very sad chapter, it's true and I didn't really make this one any more chipper, but I couldn't just leave things as they were left last chapter. The epilogue is more uplifting, though. Where are you in Vampire Diaries? I don't know if you got my message in the DocXs that I tried to send, but you shouldn't read the first chapter of the new story I'm releasing if you aren't caught up, it has SEVERE spoilers. And of COURSE my favourite character is Damon! Caroline, Katherine, and Klaus are pretty cool too (the latter two not in a friendly way, but still cool). I tend to like the jerks of any piece and I think it's pretty clear from any story I write that I like me them bad boys. I can't help myself - bad boys have the key to adventures I will never be able to open. Oh well.**

_Feenrai_**: Of course I dedicated the last chapter (and this entire story) to you! You made it worth updating, I swear. I'm glad you understand that the story took on a life of its own and became what it became, what with Shawn dying. I was really worried people wouldn't receive the idea well since he was so young and innocent - the whole time I had very different plans with what should happen that actually centered around Katie, but it worked out as it did and that's all there is to it. I thought it was interesting that my mind played things in a similar fashion to the original scene as well - even though I changed so much at the same time. And realistically, I think that as much as we romanticize vampires in this day and age, most people would choose not to be one. I, personally, love the idea but I don't think I could live with seeing everyone I love die and having the potential of hurting people. Nevertheless I couldn't imagine not being able to have a family - for me, that makes the decision easy. I thought I'd make that Vivienne's idea as well, not only for the change of the story, but also because I think it's more realistic. I hope that you liked this chapter and thank you, as always, for the review!**

_brebrelovesyou_**: It's sad he did have to die, but I think that it was more realistic than the happy ending that Twilight got (not even just this book, but the entire series). I'm glad that you like it, thank you so much for the review and for reading :) **

_Guest_**: I am still considering whether or not to continue and I will let you know when this next update comes out whether or not I plan on continuing the story. I really appreciate the review - thank you!**

_ChocolatSugar_**: I know this was left for chapter two, so if you made it this far thank you for reading and reviewing! :)**

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**So remember, for the next eight days (at the very least) you will be getting a chapter a day - two for each story, including chapters for a new story called **_Second Hand_** which is a Vampire Diaries story, with a Damon/OC romance and a little bit of Klaus/OC written in as well...**_Second Hand _**will be insanely dramatic and exciting. It will get to the point where almost every chapter will just be full of plot twists and drama!I'm so excited for it - so if you like my favourite blue-eyed, badass vampire Damon Salvatore; this is a story for you.  
**

**Please **_**REVIEW**_**, particularly if you want to see a rewrite of **_New Moon_**! Thank you :)**

**-Egypt**


	26. Epilogue

**Well, I guess it's the last time I can say it for this story - thank you so much for all the support. Anyone who put me on their alerts, favourite lists, reviewed, or even just took the time to read I am indebted to. I can't explain to you how much better of a writer I have become as time goes on and with each chapter I can tell that I'm still growing so thank you one and all! **

**A particular thank you goes out to **_Angel of the Night Watchers _**who made sure this chapter was the best it could be for you all...now, on to the epilogue.**

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Epilogue: An Occasion

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"Please don't make me go," I sighed as Edward escorted me into his car. He was very careful of the placement of the crinoline skirt that I was already sitting on and the horrid high heels that I had no right trying to maneuver in. He ignored me pointedly - as he had been doing all night - while shutting the car door on my pleas, super-speeding to his own car door. He was sure to give me one of those hypnotizing smiles when he looked over at me.

"You look stunning. Even more stunning than usual," he took one of the ringlets that Alice had styled in my hair and pushed it farther from my face. "And it would be a terrible shame for our peers to miss it."

"I don't want to go!" I frowned, turning in my seat and crossing my arms stubbornly. Maybe even childishly - either way, I was not a happy camper. "I don't want people to stare, or whisper, or - Edward, I can't even dance properly! I'm still dizzy."

"Then we don't have to dance," he shrugged.

"But it's one of the only things I can do properly. Let's just delay it," I offered with a smile, pulling off my seatbelt. "We can come back next year when I'm actually something worth showing off. You're not winning any battles against Mike with me like this, so-"

But Edward sped off so quickly that I was pinned to my seat - seatbelt or not - and against my will but agreeing with my fears, I strapped myself safely in place. His driving was too fast, even for me.

"I don't need to show you off to Newton," he explained haughtily. "But we do want to show everyone how beautiful you are. You said you don't want them to whisper - the best way to stop them is to render them breathless, which you can do by showing them that you're as beautiful and normal as ever."

"Are you doing this because of the rumour that I was horribly disfigured in the fire?" I asked accusingly. "Because that is so not the case. No one really believes it, Jessica said-"

"Jessica is a terrible reference," Edward shook his head. "I am doing this for your own good."

"Yeah, sure." I sighed, looking down at my dress with narrowed eyes. I couldn't tell whether or not I liked it. I _did _show a bit more skin than I normally would have liked - maybe that was why. Maybe Alice was trying to put the rumours of my horrible body burns to rest as well. It was a beautiful dress - mint blue and green, boat necked and flared out with layers of crinoline to fall just above my knees. It was cute, more cute than I would have bought myself were Alice not picking out the dress, but I appreciated it. The three inch heels were too high for me as I was still so unsteady on my feet, but the blue gladiator heels made me feel just punky enough to make the cookie-cutter dress acceptable. My arm, still bandaged, had been decorated with bling and Alice's artwork that matched the colours of my outfit...

It was overdone, and coming from me, that is a bad thing.

Edward was allowed to look stunning, not that he really had a choice in that matter. He could have gone in a garbage bag and I'm pretty sure he would have looked as stunning as he did now dressed in a black suit with a black shirt and, of course, the matching mint tie. The contrast against his skin was too beautiful for comprehension and the comparison between he and I was just depressing. I did not show this much skin, ever. I was not comfortable enough to show this much skin.

"You look beautiful," he sighed, feeling the nervousness I was emitting. "And Alice was so pleased to have a doll to dress up."

"Normally I would have been all for it, but not...can we please just cancel? Or, how about we drive over the border and go to a prom over there? Somewhere where _no one knows me._"

"We'll do that tomorrow," he agreed with a cheeky and lopsided smile. I frowned at him before turning back to the road, making sure to focus on the dashboard so that I wasn't left feeling dizzy from his fast driving. My eyes still were having a hard time contacting with my brain thanks to the concussion and I found myself going through dizzy spells and feeling nauseous during movies as if I were seasick and never having been on a boat.

"I need to start thinking about better punishments for not listening to me while I'm giving commands," I thought aloud. "Something that you won't like, for once."

"Ha!" he smiled, turning into the high school parking lot and finding the closest parking spot in a blur that probably shocked any of the other drivers. "Anything that involves you and I being together will never be a punishment, Vivienne."

"Then maybe I should order you not to see me when you misbehave," I threatened with a snobby voice. He scoffed lightly.

"You wouldn't," he stated confidently. I sighed.

"Yeah, I know." I was distracted from thinking about saying something else witty or somehow tempting for him to take me away by the sound of Edward's cell phone ringing from inside his jacket. He looked briefly at the caller ID, looking almost perplexed, before answering.

"Hello, Charlie," he greeted cautiously.

"_'Charlie'_?" I repeated aghast. "As in my Dad? Why is he calling _you_?"

I had always loved that my dad gave me the space I needed, but since I had come home from Phoenix, space was the last thing I got from him. He came in to check on me in the middle of the night. He was constantly asking my plans and calling me as if he would catch me red handed trying to leave again, and most importantly he had decided that Edward was the enemy.

Carlisle, he loved. He was grateful that he had been there to help when I had needed him. But Edward? Logically, it should just mean that Edward came with Carlisle because they are father and son and the son happened to be dating his daughter - but dad didn't see it like that. Dad was almost jealous that Edward had been with me on my sickbed when he hadn't been able to be. It had caused a terrible rift in an already fragile civility, which Edward always tried to defend saying that he was being a good father. I just thought he was being overbearing.

"You're kidding!" Edward laughed after a long moment. His eyes wide with disbelief before a grin spread widely across his face.

"Dad doesn't kid - what are you talking about?" I demanded, but Edward ignored me.

"Why don't you let me talk to him?" Edward's voice was coated in smugness, even his face radiated amusement as there were a few moments of silence. _Him_? Who else was there that would want to talk to Edward instead of me?

"Hello, Tyler, this is Edward Cullen." His voice was very friendly, but anyone who was on the receiving end would be able to hear the threat lying just under the surface. It took me a long moment, a _very _long moment, before I realized what was happening and gasped.

"He didn't!"

"I'm sorry if there's been some kind of miscommunication, but Vivienne is unavailable tonight." He smiled, looking at me with a mischievous sparkle in his eye. "To be perfectly honest, she'll be unavailable every night, as far as anyone besides myself is concerned. No offense. And I'm sorry about your evening."

"Don't be," I hissed, hoping that it made it to the receiver so Tyler could feel the brunt of my anger. He snapped his phone shut at that, the smirk on his face trying to rip through the enraged heat crawling up my face and threatening to melt my makeup.

"Was that last part a bit too much? I didn't mean to offend you."

"He thought he was taking me to prom!" I gasped angrily. "Who does he think he is? Alright, we can't go to prom. I'm going to rip his eyes out."

Edward frowned, though he couldn't keep his lips from twitching up at my outburst. "Don't be difficult, Vivienne."

"Difficult? _Me_? _I'm _being difficult? Tyler _almost _runs me over with his van _months _ago and he still thinks he's entitled to take me to prom now that I have a boyfriend! Who does he think he is? That's it. I want out. I'll walk home." I opened the car door, only to step out and see Edward holding his arms out in front of me with a frown marring his features.

"Tyler is not ruining this night."

"No, _I'll _ruin the night when I commit some kind of felony. This is a bad idea, I want to go home." I stomped my foot on the ground childishly, almost losing my balance in the meantime. Edward put his arms out to steady me and took advantage of the position so that he could hold me and hypnotize me with those beautiful topaz eyes of his.

"Please, Vivienne?"

"No."

"Humour me," he insisted, rubbing small circles on the back of my arms that sent chills scrambling up and down the length of my spine.

"That's not fair," I pouted. "Fine. But I'm not dancing, you know, because I can't. And you're not going to complain, you know, because I forbid you." I was sure to thrust my nose high up in the air before I started walking toward the auditorium entrance. Even when I was acting like a stubborn brat, he was sure to slide his arm under my own and hold it in a way I'd only seen during plays or in movies when old fashioned men treated their ladies with respect. It was so nice to have an old fashioned boyfriend who knew all the romantic rules.

"You will dance, though," he assured me quietly. "You know, because _I _can." He mocked. "And you will like it, you know, because you want to."

"I hate this."

"There, now, it won't be so bad." He leaned down and moved the arm that had been holding my own so that it could wrap around my waist. We had barely made it through the parking lot when I heard it.

"_I don't see any burns..._"

"_Do you think the killers body was _really _unidentifiable?_"

"Don't listen to them," Edward said at once. He must have felt me stiffen against the whispers, trying to fight them off with a strength that I didn't feel I had. I turned my eyes up to look at him, trying to show him how terrified I was to face the crowds inside the school, the crowds that were five times the size of the people lingering outside thanks to being latecomers or smokers.

"Mm," I hummed back nervously, turning my eyes toward the doors, counting my steps as I took them. It was the only way I could keep a stern face.

I had always expected prom, whether it be junior or senior prom, to be a grand affair. Arie and I had always planned to make our prom dresses out of beautiful fabrics with splattered paints and dance the night away on the giant speakers of a big 5-star-hotel prom as if we were a pair of Circe De Soleil performers. Here in Forks, there were no giant speakers coming from the one student dj over in the corner, surrounded by the twisted garlands and paper decorations that swamped the walls of the auditorium.

"_Mon dieu_," I gasped as I looked at it. Edward looked at me worriedly. "This is going to turn into Carrie. And _I'm _going to be Carrie! Alright everybody run out of the appropriate exits-"

"Vivienne, no." Edward told me firmly, though there was a definite smile tugging at his lips. "If this is any sort of scary movie, it's the kind with vampires present, don't you think?"

He turned my gaze to look at the dance floor, where two couples tore it up in the most graceful way possible. The other couples watched them in awe, not even knowing how to control their jaws and not daring to dance beside them. It alienated them in the way that they always were and made me wonder how more people hadn't come to the conclusions I had so early on. Looking at Emmett and Jasper in their dashing tuxedos, or Alice in her black geometric patterned dress, and Rosalie in her backless -and pretty much frontless - number, I didn't understand how other people didn't attribute their unearthly beauty to something that we think of as unearthly. Did I really live that much in my own head that I was the only one to try and figure it all out? Or was I just strange enough that sense hadn't taken over and I'd managed to make myself believe that fairy tales were true?

"Okay, I say you and the other pretty couples over there get out before you have to see the pig blood," I joked. He glared at me.

"I told you it wasn't _Carrie_."

"Fine, either way I'm still siding with the vampires." I shrugged, walking forward and into the crowd. I walked straight to the drinks table with very little interruption. I avoided all the eyes that turned to watch me pass, but none of them actually had the nerve to say hello to me or wish me a good night. They couldn't speak to my face, but I could hear each of them turn to whisper as soon as they were behind me.

"I'm not dancing," though I could not see Edward and there was no indication he had followed me through the crowd, I could sense that he was there. He sighed behind me, leaning forward to pour me a drink of punch and smelling it before deeming it un-spiked for me.

"I've got all night," he warned me.

"You'd have a much better chance if this were spiked." I explained with a small smile. He grinned toward me.

"Just let me go get Emmett, normally he already would have added something. I'm sure he's just a bit distracted by Rosalie tonight."

"Who wouldn't be?" I guffawed, looking over my shoulder to watch her - her red, trained dress flowing behind her as she danced with Emmett, who had a grace no one his size should have. There were way too many tells. Something like prom could totally give their identities away. "She still hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," Edward winced. "Rose is sensitive. She's warmed up to the idea of you a great amount, though."

"That's what Alice said," I acknowledged, taking another sip of my drink as I watched her. I wouldn't tell Edward that Alice had said that Rosalie now felt she could relate more to me now that I knew loss and that she respected me because I had stuck against the odds and chosen not to become a vampire when I had the option. Alice had said Rose always worried that it's what I had been after, immortality, and that she respected that I wasn't throwing my dreams and goals away for a vampire who could not offer them to me. Alice assured me that now that Rosalie respected me she would grow to like me. It would just take time because she didn't understand the lure I had to Edward if I wasn't after immortality and he couldn't give me the family I wanted.

I was just set on making the time fly between when Rosalie went from respect to friend. It'd be a bumpy road, but if Alice said it was going to happen, I was determined to see it through.

"Come dance with me - your beauty will easily surpass theirs." Edward encouraged in a voice so velvety I almost fell into it. I took a deep breath to fight against the fluttering in my chest.

"Not when spinning makes me nauseous," I pointed out. "Besides, I don't think the waltzes I've learned will work to this music."

"They were doing a three step waltz when we came in," he argued quickly. "And we can dance in any way we want. You said you were graceful when you dance...I want to see it."

"Why?" I frowned.

"Honestly?" he smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly in challenge. "I don't believe you can."

I bristled defensively, feeling my eyes narrow. I knew that he was baiting me - my own boyfriend, _baiting me_! - but I couldn't help the chemical reaction in my brain that made my skin heat up in annoyance. I looked at him, watching for any sign that he was willing to back down or take the offensive comment back. He didn't. He looked determined, his eyes level to mine.

Taking the rest of my punch in one swig, I took a deep breath and offered him my hand.

"I hope I dance better than you _and _I vomit on your shoes," I hissed as he pulled me beside his siblings on the dance floor. The whispers waved through the crowd like a rising and falling tide. I could hear them, see them pointing, watch as they pushed their hands near their mouths and others ears so that their conversations could remain private - but Edward could hear them, I knew he could. He put us in a very stereotypical waltz position before looking at me with such intensity it almost left me breathless.

"It's just you and me," he whispered. "Give them something else to talk about."

That and his own challenge were more than enough motivation for me. The waltz steps itself came back to me easily: one-two-three, one-two-three, he kept it very standardized for me. I could have done better on a good day, but as it was when he spun me I had to bite my lips together to help the rolling of my stomach pass.

Alice smiled at me encouragingly each time Edward spun me in her general direction. Rosalie gave a curt nod the one time I accidentally became too dizzy and spun a little off course, before Emmett had slapped my back playfully so that I'd be pushed back toward my own date. Edward held me tightly, slowing down the pace for a moment so I could get my bearings. I was just about to thank him for the thought before he stiffened under my hands. Turning to face him fully I saw his glare directed to the door.

"You have a visitor," he informed me so formally that the anger dripping from his voice was palpable.

"If Tyler's about to ask me to dance I _will _turn this into Carrie no matter what you-" but I stopped speaking when I followed his icy glare toward the doors and saw a very unexpected visitor. It wasn't Tyler at all, but a very gangly Quileute boy - one that it took me a moment to recognize thanks to an awkward feeling of displacement marring his features. Oh, and his awkward transition from teen to young man that he was currently in the middle of.

"Jacob!" I smiled, unable to stop myself. At hearing the sound of my voice, Jacob Black turned toward me, showing off his white dress shirt, tie, and neat ponytail.

Edward snarled under his breath.

"Play nice, kitty. Hey, and put those claws away! Jacob looks terrified."

"He wants to chat with you," Edward growled as if the very idea was insulting.

"I can have friends, Edward and if I'm not allowed to make this into _Carrie _you certainly aren't allowed to make it into _Buffy_..."

"Hey, Liv, I was hoping you would be here." He was almost as terrible of a liar as I was, but I couldn't help but smile at him anyway. Jacob was hard not to be happy around.

"Against my will, but I'm here. What brought you to this hell-hole?" I offered with a bright enthusiasm that contradicted my words. He smiled sheepishly, pointing to my hands that were still tightly gripped by Edward.

"Can I cut in?" he asked, glancing at Edward for the first time. Jacob had gotten tall, _really tall, _in the time that I hadn't seen him. He didn't even have to look up at Edward like ninety percent of the student populace did, they were eye-to-eye...Edward did not seem happy about that as he took a silent step back. The Quileute looked almost shocked, but thankful. "Thanks."

Jacob looked almost as awkward as I felt as he took Edward's spot and placed his hands on my waist. I didn't have any trouble reaching his shoulders, but the tension between us made me wish I did - just so I would have a reason not to be in such an awkward situation.

"So, you've joined the mile-high club, huh?" I was the worst small-talker ever.

"Huh?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"You're tall now. Are you trying to become a giant teddy bear? It's an admirable career choice."

"Ha, no." He beamed at me. "But I did take a small job from my dad. Would you believe he paid me twenty bucks to come to your prom?"

I tried not to narrow my eyes at him. "Believe it or not, I can." I noticed my voice was a little too dark for what it should be while addressing Jacob, so I made sure to smile again. "But welcome to junior prom - see anyone you want me to hook you up with?"

"Kind of, but she's taken." He sighed a little bit inwardly and as I looked up at him to tell him there were other fish in the sea, he turned to look down at me - a spark flashing between us that made me look away as my face grew warm.

"Well, you have about sixty others." I offered lamely.

"You look really pretty," Jacob said shyly, spitting it out like it hurt him.

"Thanks. This," I pointed to my hair and makeup. "Was all against my will. Alice will be happy to know her efforts were appreciated by someone."

"Probably by everyone," he argued quietly. I turned away from him again.

"Thanks...uh, so, that twenty bucks; it wasn't just so you could experience the prom, was it?"

He did not seem any more comfortable with this subject than the last one we had been in. He looked uncomfortable, shifting nervously and nearly stepping on my toes. "My old man said it was a 'safe' place to talk to you. I swear he's losing his mind."

"Charlie will be so glad he's not alone, then!" I added enthusiastically, though I wanted to spit out my nerves. Billy was trying to save me from Edward again - and poor Jacob was the messenger. Billy wasn't being very smart about this, sending his only son, hadn't he ever heard the expression 'shoot the messenger'? I'm sure if Edward could, he would.

"I guess. Anyway, he said if I told you something, he would get me that master cylinder I need."

"Hey!" I laughed, genuinely pleased. "Then there's no reason not to tell me. It's time you get the rabbit finished."

"You remembered," he almost gaped. Honestly, boys hearing that I know about cars are too shocked. It's not _that _rare for a girl to have a general understanding for automobiles, was it? "Don't get mad, okay?"

I noticed that Jacob was looking away, embarrassed. Oh, this would be good. "I won't get mad. Not even at your dad - just get the job done."

"Well - this is so stupid, I'm sorry, Liv - he wants you to break up with your boyfriend. He asked me to tell you 'please'..." he shook his head, upset with his father and the fact that he had actually found the words to tell me. I sighed, patting his back lightly with my hand.

"Still into those legends?"

"Yeah. He was...kind of over the top after everything that happened in Phoenix. He thought..." he trailed off. "I'm sorry. It doesn't matter what he thought. I'm really sorry about your brother."

"Thanks," I mumbled quietly, unable to stop myself from looking around to see if anyone else had heard the conversation we were having. The only one who seemed to have any eyes for us was Edward, who was leaning against the far wall and ignoring the seductive looks a group of girls was trying to send him. He saw me looking and smiled slightly, giving me the courage to continue on with my lies.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make this so bad - I'll go." I frowned a bit, feeling bad for making Jacob feel awkward over something that was not his fault, but I let go of him just the same.

"Well, I'm really sorry that you came all this way. At least you get to finish the rabbit."

"Yeah," he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck nervously. I raised my eyebrows.

"You do get your cylinder, don't you?"

"Well, there's...he said..."

"There's _more_?" I tried not to let my voice sound as upset as I was over it, but the emphasis behind my words was pretty clear. "Come on, spit it out and then you can leave and get your car fixed."

"It's so bad," Jacob muttered, as if he were saying it more to himself than to me.

"And you didn't say it. You're making it worse by making me wait," I said a little more coolly than I meant. He nodded to himself, thinking about the right way to phrase it before he nodded to himself again.

"Okay...but geeze, this sounds so bad. He told to me to tell you - no, to _warn _you - that...and this is his plural, not mine..." He put his hands up into the air, wincing as he said it. "'We'll be watching'."

I couldn't help but let out a laugh, a boisterous laugh that drew the attention of multiple people standing near us. "Oh man, I was just talking about how I would make tonight into a scary movie, but your dad's trying to do it for me; what a twist! Wow, I'm really sorry you had to say that, no wonder you were so worried. Well, tell Billy that I appreciate the message but he needs to have a little trust in modern life - not legends. Dead and buried, you know the saying. But tell him I know that he's only trying to look out for me, which is very sweet of him, even if he's trying to get me killed by an axe murderer."

"Ha, I will." Jacob smiled, grinning in relief. "And I didn't mind coming here _that _much..." he paused as he came toward me again. "Do you want to dance again, or can I help you find Edward, or..."

"That's alright, Jacob." Edward's voice responded silkily from behind him. He turned around so that they could be face to face, though Jacob looked guilty in the most innocent of ways. "I'll take it from here."

"I didn't see you there," Jacob mumbled. "I guess I'll see you around, Liv."

As he waved, stepping away from us, I made sure to give him a bright - and surprisingly genuine - wave in return. "I'll see you later - maybe after you get your rabbit fixed. Or if you need some help from a _real _mechanic."

He let out a loud laugh, one that made me smile even more brightly before he smiled again and exited from the gym - leaving as if he had never come. I turned to Edward, who began leading me in a slower waltz, guiding my head to his shoulder. I immediately felt my eyes droop.

"Retract your claws, it wasn't his fault. And Billy's only looking out for Charlie." I explained, pleased with myself when I felt Edward relax on my command. He shook his head.

"That's not quite why I'm upset," he explained. "And I'm not mad at Billy - but his son is irritating me."

"Why?" I asked, not moving from his shoulder.

"First, he made you laugh-"

"Oh, don't be jealous. He didn't force me to give up and dance through nausea. He kept it to simple swaying - he was actually being much more considerate than you were."

"Second," Edward frowned, interrupting my sarcastic little rant. "He called you _pretty. _That's practically an insult, the way you look right now. You are much more than beautiful."

"You're biased."

"I don't think that's it," he looked down at me and smiled. "Besides, I have excellent eyesight."

I laughed, leaning up and placing my lips gently against his. "You're sweet."

"You're perfect," he countered, twirling me in a way that made me feel nauseous for a moment but made me smile. I loved dancing and were it not for all the erroneous reasons why not to be here, I would have been having a wonderful time with him. "I love you."

"Enough to stick around and prove it?" I asked with a smile.

"I will prove I love you until the end of my existence. Your sorrow fed itself with the Nightfall, but the sun is rising, Vivienne - you will never have to feel alone again. I love you and I will never let you go." Edward smiled, leaning down and kissing me again. It was soft and gentle, as sweet as honey. I couldn't help but kiss him again. And again. And a few more times. The last time that I did, it was light before pulling away and looking into his shining topaz eyes. I couldn't help looking for the truth in his words, because they simply were too good to be true. Since when was something ever that simple?

"I swear it," he added, as if knowing what I was doing. I laughed, giving his hand a squeeze. "I'll be with you forever, if you want me."

"I will," I warned him.

"I hope." He smiled. "Because I'll love you for longer."

I smiled back at him, nodding slightly. "I know."

* * *

**Well, my friends, Nightfall has come to a close. Before I tell the fate of this story, please let me address my reviewers:**

_Ariella Jones_**: I'm so glad that you like the realism I tried to include with my contrast between Bella and Liv, I tried to add as many of the little details you mentioned as possible, simply because it is what happens in real life and though I never write in the 'real' world, I always try to make the fantasy realm as realistic as possible. Thank you so much for your review and support!**

_Angel of the Night Watchers_**: Man, there were SO many chapters that I had to do. I rewrote the next GEM chapter like six times because the formatting is just so strange, but I think it will end up being a good chapter - definitely nail biting, though abstract. I **_**love **_**gymnastics and swimming, I'm also keen on diving. I was watching it while I was at the bar for my best friend's birthday today - half the time we forgot about our drinks because we were watching the Russians and Romanians on floor. Anyway, the story has come to an end, but I think it was a good end. It was different like I wanted it to be and hopefully it leaves a different taste in your mouth than Twilight did - I can't tell from my angle, of course, but tis the hope. Thank you for all your work on this story, it has been so amazing!**

_AdelphiBahana_**: I'm so glad that you liked the changes and subtle differences between Bella and Vivienne, I had hoped that people would understand that I was trying to put more personality into what I saw as a very plain character and I'm proud of the response it got me. Thank you very much :)**

_Bree_**: Thank you for your review and support - I have tons of great ideas for how I would twist the plot with Liv's decisions on not wanting to become a vampire...guess you'll have to see.**

* * *

**Well readers, I did a lot of thinking about whether or not I would continue this series - it was a really difficult decision for me because it does not get the response that most of my other stories do and I figured if this wasn't interesting people then I should put my time into the stories that people seem to be enjoying more. I decided not to write a New Moon sequel. Then, when I was updating a chapter, I noticed the new format which shows you how many Favs and Follows people have on each story - though I'd gotten the alerts that someone was following me, I never tallied up how many people have put this story on their favourites or followed for updates.**

**Because of these people, I have decided that I will be doing a New Moon rewrite. Now, here's the rub: because I had literally decided up until two days ago that I was not going to write a sequel, I have nothing prepared. I am swamped between life, **_Green Eyed Monster_**, **_Awfully Big Adventures_**,**** and **_Second Hand_**,**** so I have decided that I will take a little break. When I have time to write the sequel for this, you will be getting this sequel and you will probably get it in a 'every-two-days-is-an-update' kind of thing because I'll work at it a little bit until I'm finished and then start releasing then. It's what I have decided to do with all my stories thanks to how well it worked at the beginning of my Harry Potter fanfic - so, there **_**is **_**a New Moon rewrite on the way...but it will be delayed. But keep a look out in the next few months, I will be calling it **_Asteroids_**.**

**Thank you for all your support again, my friends. See you in other updates :)**

**-Egypt**


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